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NewsMaterial3 min readDisconfirmAI Editorial

TechOrange Author Oshawn: Every Industry Is Becoming a Semiconductor Industry

TechOrange author Oshawn analyzes that as AI moves from the cloud to edge devices, chip capabilities are replacing mechanical performance as the core driver of product differentiation. From automobiles to healthcare, data centers to industrial robots, competitive advantage is shifting deeper into the technology stack, making vertical integration commonplace and semiconductor literacy a critical leadership skill for executives.

2026-11-09 11:22 GMT+8

Most companies will never design their own chips in their lifetime, but Oshawn's analysis at TechOrange points out that advancements in semiconductor technology are increasingly determining what products companies can create, how they innovate, and how they compete. The key to this shift lies in the changing deployment of AI: it no longer exists solely in data centers and the cloud, but is moving toward edge devices—vehicles, medical instruments, industrial machinery, consumer products, robots, and drones are all embedding increasingly sophisticated chips. This trend is driven by corporate demand for real-time responsiveness, lower latency, better privacy protection, and more energy-efficient computing.

The automotive industry offers the most obvious example. In the past, cars were defined primarily by mechanical engineering and horsepower; today, consumers evaluate vehicles based on driver-assistance features, in-car entertainment, connectivity, and the level of autonomous driving. As Oshawn writes, the numerous chips in vehicles are defining the products themselves, with computing power becoming as important as, if not more important than, engine performance. According to market estimates, the global edge AI market size was $24.91 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $29.98 billion in 2026, making the importance of chips unprecedented.

Similar changes are occurring in other industries. Data center infrastructure is shifting from one-size-fits-all computing architectures to those that can adjust according to workloads and energy needs; medical devices are becoming smarter and more connected, supporting AI-assisted imaging, robotic surgery, and portable diagnostics; industrial robots, which previously only executed fixed functions, are now expected to sense, analyze, learn, and continuously improve productivity.

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As chips begin to define products, the source of competitive advantage also shifts downward. Oshawn notes that technical decisions made below the application layer are increasingly affecting AI performance, energy efficiency, security, cybersecurity, and user experience. Customers may not see these technologies, but they feel the results in product functionality every day. This has also changed how companies view technology ownership: where purchasing off-the-shelf components was once sufficient, vertical integration—where companies control more upstream and downstream links—is gradually becoming the norm.

In the data center sector, the race for custom chips is no longer limited to semiconductor companies like AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA; hyperscale cloud providers such as Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are also directly investing in chip R&D. The same applies to the automotive industry, where electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla, BYD, XPeng, NIO, and Li Auto are competing based on software, computing power, and AI. Oshawn mentions that Apple's acquisition of chip design company P.A. Semi nearly 20 years ago was an early signal of this trend, which has continued to accelerate since then.

However, Oshawn also emphasizes that not every company needs to design its own chips. Companies can integrate commercial chips, commission custom designs, or co-design with partners, but none can treat semiconductor innovation as a technical decision completely unrelated to business. Meanwhile, the direction of innovation has become two-way: in the past, companies would identify business problems first and then seek solutions from suppliers; now, it is often advancements in semiconductor technology that create entirely new possibilities first, with companies racing to incorporate them into their products and services. In many cases, capabilities appear before innovation follows.

This makes semiconductor literacy a crucial leadership capability. Oshawn believes that executives do not need to become chip designers, but must possess sufficient understanding to grasp how chip advancements affect product strategy, customer expectations, long-term competitiveness, and operational performance. Many companies still treat semiconductors as an invisible layer handled by suppliers, but as products become increasingly intelligent and defined by digital technology, the risks of this mindset are growing. The winners of the next decade will clearly know where chips create advantages and where collaboration is smarter, placing semiconductor strategy at the core of overall corporate strategy.

Sources

  • techorange.comTechOrange 科技報橘↗
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