Global Standards for the Microelectronics Industry
JEDEC History - 2010s
By 2010, semiconductor revenues had begun to recover from the effects of the Great Recession, and by 2014 they hit a record high of nearly $336 billion. Sales of chips related to mobile technology, wireless networking and cloud computing grew rapidly while those related to the PC market stagnated. OEM factory revenue from smartphones and tablets rose from $41.2 billion in 2007 to $354.3 billion in 2013, according to IHS. Industry experts began to talk about a “post-PC era.”
The shift impacted the memory market, where more DRAMs were sold for mobile devices than for PCs. It was the first time in 30 years that PCs were not the dominant market for DRAMs. Standards reflected the change, as JEDEC published several standards for low-power double-data-rate memory and flash devices.
Google Glass and the Apple Watch were introduced, giving a boost to an already emerging market for wearable electronics. Unit shipments of sensors for that market and others – including autonomous automobiles and drones – rose while prices fell. The Internet of Things became a major market driver.
Meanwhile, cloud providers continued expanding their server farms and began to design their own servers, many of which incorporated solid-state drives (SSDs). JEDEC developed standards for these drives, and companies that used these servers, including Google and Apple, joined the organization.
Counterfeit electronics emerged as a problem for industry and the military. A 2012 U.S. Senate Armed Services investigation found 1,800 cases of counterfeit electronic parts in U.S. military equipment, prompting the Department of Defense to revise acquisition regulations to improve its ability to trace parts back to original manufacturers and placing more responsibility for authenticating parts on contractors. In response, JEDEC developed a standard establishing best practices for mitigating and avoiding counterfeit circuits and discrete semiconductors.
The organization continued to expand globally, launching JEDEC’s first China-based task group in 2016. The group, which is linked with JEDEC’s JC-14 Committee for Quality & Reliability, paves the way for Chinese companies to participate in international standards development.
As JEDEC embarks on its second 50 years, it continues to play an influential role in the microelectronics industry. Semiconductors are the enablers of the digital revolution, and that revolution is just getting started. As microelectronics goes beyond computers and becomes embedded into everything, JEDEC will be there.
Timeline
2010
JEDEC and the ESDA publish their first joint standard: ANSI/ESDA/JEDEC JS-001-2010 for Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity (ESD) Testing – Human Body Model (HBM) standard.
JEDEC publishes two standards for Solid-State Drives: JESD218 SSD Requirements and Endurance Test Method and JESD219 SSD Endurance Workloads.
Semiconductor sales rebound, reaching $298.3 billion.
Apple introduces the iPad.
2011
JEDEC publishes next-generation Universal Flash Storage (UFS) standard for embedded and removable flash memory-based storage in mobile devices. To achieve the highest performance and most power efficient data transport, JEDEC UFS aligns with industry–leading specifications from the MIPI Alliance to form its Interconnect Layer.
2012
JEDEC publishes JESD229 Wide I/O Single Data Rate (SDR) DRAM for mobile devices.
JEDEC publishes JESD209-3 LPDDR3 Low Power Memory Device Standard for mobile devices.
JEDEC publishes the first international thermal standards for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the JESD51-x Series.
JEDEC publishes Synchronous DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) standard, JESD79-4.
2013
JEDEC publishes the 6th edition of the Dictionary of Terms for Solid State Technology, JESD88.
JEDEC publishes version 2.0 of the UFS standard.
2014
JEDEC publishes Low Power Double Data Rate 4 (LPDDR4), JESD209-4, designed to boost speed and efficiency of memory for mobile devices.
The semiconductor industry posts record sales of $335.8 billion in 2014.
2015
50th anniversary of Moore’s Law.
2016
JEDEC publishes JESD243, Counterfeit Electronic Parts: Non-Proliferation for Manufacturers, which identifies best practices for mitigating and/or avoiding counterfeit monolithic microcircuits, hybrid microcircuits and discrete semiconductors products.
JEDEC publishes JESD220-2 Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Card Extension Standard, which standardizes functionality that aligns with the popular UFS embedded device standard.
JEDEC launches its first task group based in China.
2017
JEDEC and SNIA win Best of Show Award in the Most Innovative Flash Memory Technology category for NVDIMM-N Standard at the Flash Memory Summit conference.
New JC-70 committee for Wide Bandgap Power Electronic Conversion Semicondutors formed, along with two subcommittees: Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC).
2018
JC-11 Mechanical Standardization Committee begins releasing 3D models of new standard modules, packages, and socket outlines in addition to detailed 2D drawings.
2019
JEDEC's JC-70 Wide Bandgap Power Electronic Conversion Semiconductors committee publishes its first document: JEP173: Dynamic On-Resistance Test Method Guidelines for GaN HEMT Based Power Conversion Devices.
LPDDR5 mobile memory standard published (JESD209-5) offering new features designed for mission critical applications such as automotive in addition to mobile applications.