Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1172746
20 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2019 where is the global competition going? And where does globalization stand? The intertwined relationship between tech- nology, jobs, and trade is a grand challenge to all of us. Diverse and opposing views about globalization and how it relates to technol- ogy, jobs, and trade are abundant as reflected through a plethora of data, manifold surveys, and growing debates. Whether globalization would undergo a retreat or reverse course, and how our industry is going to embrace changes, is important to future success. The critical thought-process goes to the diligent assess- ment of the core competencies and the sort- ing out of the priority in functions or products or services. The critical thinking also goes to what to embrace and how to leverage the new, almighty megatrends, such as how IoT is going to drive both product design and operation. AI hardware, working hand-in-hand with software systems, plays a critical part in this increasingly recognized AI era. The future fac- tory is driven by the nascent Industry 4.0, and its ultimate goal is to achieve the intelligence- teaming manufacturing operating in a truly integrated manner. In manufacturing, such as surface mount, agility, flexibility, reliability, efficiency, and desirable cost are the names of the game. Many operations or organizations are embracing (or bracing for) President Trump's next tweets. But we can control our destiny by controlling only what we can. We need to understand what Industry 4.0 is, what it requires, and what it takes to achieve it. I believe that is going to take the next several years to develop [1] . Moving forward, to enable AI and its build- ing blocks—machine learning, deep learn- ing, and neural networks—new chips (proces- sor and memory), architectures, and system designs that deliver low power consumption, high performance, low latency, high band- width, and fast speed will be the ever-demand- ing targets. Only by fulfilling these criteria can inference processing in lieu of traditional pro- gram processing be achieved [2] . It's equally demanding to assess and optimize for different types of AI workloads—a business talent in the U.S. continues. The job market and the shift of the job market in nature, geog- raphy, and number on the global scale are pro- foundly in flux. Then, the "eternal" trade issue with China has moved to the front and center of inside-the-beltway debates, government pol- icies, and business strategies. Today's new world is not only entrenched with trade issues but also driven by shiny, new technological megatrends—namely artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), 5G, and the associated infrastructure and sup- ply chain. The national unemployment rate reached 3.7%, the lowest since 1969, which is good news. Another major change in the global landscape during the last 15 years is that China became the largest exporter in 2013, replacing the United States. The United States maintains its status as the largest consumer in the world. History tells us that the open market and free trade are prerequisites for global competitiveness. In this politically sensitive time, the chal - lenge for the private sector and the U.S. Gov- ernment's policymaking is how to cultivate and formulate a virtuous cycle to feed the dynamic economy. Our industry has been affected broadly as well as specifically by the globalization in tech- nology, jobs, and trade. To my recollection, our industry was one of the frontiers (if not the first pioneer) heavily engaged in outsourcing and offshoring that commenced in the 1990s. As we move into ever-advanced manufactur- ing using IoT and AI and as the miniaturized dimensions drive all sectors of the industry, Another major change in the global landscape during the last 15 years is that China became the largest exporter in 2013, replacing the United States.