Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) revenues will reach $80 billion in 2009, or 6 percent of total communications spend worldwide, according to a new Pyramid Research report. The report credits converged service revenue growth to value-added services and the migration of digital content from broadcasting networks to new converged networks. Pyramid expects converged services adoption to accelerate only after 2007, as more consumers are migrated to convergent platforms. "Key drivers of FMC include fixed-mobile substitution, industry consolidation, and strong uptake of VoIP services" said Pyramid Research analyst Svetlana Issaeva. End-users in the traditional fixed and Internet access segments will continue to spend less, as competition puts downward pressure on prices and subscribers trickle away to mobile networks. Fixed providers are most keenly aware of these trends as fixed-mobile substitution slowly gains ground. For them, a prompt launch of FMC networks promises to cut CAPEX and OPEX, and offers an arsenal of new value-added services that will improve loyalty and increase revenues.
Few technology sectors sit as close to the center of gravity in today's artificial intelligence (AI) economy as semiconductor manufacturing. Every AI chip that trains a frontier model, every GPU that powers a data center inference workload, and every power management IC that keeps hyperscaler facilities running traces its origins back to the global Foundry ecosystem. IDC's latest market study throws that reality into sharp relief, projecting that the broadly defined Foundry 2.0 market will surpass $360 billion in 2026, a 17 percent year-over-year gain that would have seemed optimistic even two years ago. For anyone advising boards or investment committees on technology and AI infrastructure strategy, this growth trajectory demands careful consideration. Foundry 2.0 Market Development The umbrella term covers four distinct verticals: pure-play foundry, non-memory integrated device manufacturer (IDM) production, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT), and photomask fab...