View from the Valley - Semicon: Then and Now

July is Semicon West time. Below is a quick look at what we saw and heard as well as a look back at Semi West over the years.

Semicon: 1971 to 2010

I went to Semicon West, as I have for the last bazillion years. Though most things stay the same, each show seems to have a bit of its own personality. The show this year seemed particularly open and spacious. There were wide aisles and lots of sitting areas with benches. This seemed like a thoughtful touch by the organizers, until Larry pointed out that the outer reaches of the show floor were blocked off and the common space was probably so the show didn't feel smaller.

The mood was generally upbeat, with most manufacturing equipment vendors reporting robust backlogs. At the same time, there was a tone of worry in several of the presentations voicing that the market may be overheating, with some evidence of double booking. There's still an underlying fear among some that the current strength in the market may not have staying power.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 40 years since the first show at the Fairgrounds in San Mateo. Back then, everyone parked on the dirt around the horse track and walked into buildings that would house the pie judging contest and 4H exhibits during the fair. It was a couple of buildings with a relatively small collection of exhibitors. Companies booked rooms at the Villa Hotel on the El Camino to host hospitality suites... many of which were more memorable than the event itself. The show grew and blow-up buildings were added to house assembly and test. They were usually pretty hot inside and on at least one occasion, didn't stay blown up.

The show outgrew the Fairgrounds and moved to the newly expanded Moscone Center in San Francisco in 1992. Early on, there was lots of griping from Silicon Valley folks who didn't want to have to drive ALL the way into the City, find parking, etc. The show grew too large for Moscone and assembly/test was moved to the San Jose Convention Center. This upset many of the vendors that served both fab and assembly/test as they had to either ignore one segment or pay to have two booths. After several years, Moscone West was completed and the show once again reunited. At the peak, Semicon used the entire Moscone complex. Over the past several years, the show has been shrinking. The Solar segment has taken over the West Hall and Semicon has collapsed back into North and South Halls. What will next year bring... I guess we wait and see.