在欧洲举行的国际电子论坛(International Electronics Forum)上，瑞萨电子(Renesas Electronics)前任董事长Junshi (JJ) Yamaguchi 表示，已经衰退超过20年的日本半导体产业，需要重新选择关键的技术领域，并专注于重新崛起。
目前担任瑞萨特别顾问以及日本半导体产业协会的Yamaguchi指出，311日本大地震与海啸，对日本这个国家与当地的芯片制造商来说，还未证实是一个转折点。他在专题演说中展示了一张日本芯片业全球市占率的变化图，该数字在1988年为51%，到1994年成为44%，到1998年进一步减少到29%，2010年仅剩20%。
Yamaguchi也解释了造成以上衰退的主要原因。在1970年代，日本决定投资DRAM生产；而1980年个人计算机的销售成长带动了对 DRAM需求，也让日本芯片厂商享受到产品出货量与营收的大幅成长。但美国的政治干预带来了一个转折点，日本与美国并在1988年签署了一份美日半导体协议(U.S.–Japan Semiconductor Agreement)；根据该协议，日本不得以低于成本的价格销售DRAM，美国供货商在日本芯片市场的占有率也由10%提高到20%。
“对日本半导体业者的资本支出与进口的限制，让韩国(在DRAM与半导体市场)的势力崛起；”Yamaguchi表示，日本的态度一直太过保守，其问题因为被大部分排除在DRAM市场之外，以及专注于ASIC生产太久而持续存在：“在2000年，SoC的商机曾经非常强劲，但是ASSP组件，并非ASIC组件。”当时晶圆代工产业也迅速成长。
日本半导体产业全球市占率变化0jOesmc
“日本需要改革；”Yamaguchi表示，他也看到了一些厂商态度开始转变的迹象，也就是从311大地震之后开始的：“瑞萨以不可思议的成就在3个月内恢复生产，并非原先预计的6至9个月。”他表示，这意味着当人们团结起来、牺牲假日，是可以完成目标的。
Yamaguchi认为，日本厂商在部分领域仍然占据领导地位，因此该国厂商应该专注于发展微控制器、NAND闪存、CMOS传感器等产品。由于目前全球经济成长的主要动力来自于邻近的亚洲国家，日本有很好的优势地位可以在需要软硬件解决方案的众多应用中与他国竞争，例如行动消费性电子装置、永续能源、医疗照护与安全等等。
“我们过去虽然有很多问题，但现在已经知道该往哪里走！”Yamaguchi做结论。
编译：Judith Cheng
本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载
参考英文原文：IEF: Japan can rise again, says exec，by Peter Clarke
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IEF: Japan can rise again, says exec
Peter Clarke
SEVILLE, Spain – The Japanese semiconductor industry, which has been in decline for more than 20 years, needs to select key technology areas and refocus to rise again, Junshi (JJ) Yamaguchi, former chairman of chip company Renesas Electronics Corp., told the International Electronics Forum, being organized here.
Yamaguchi, who now serves as special advisor to Renesas and as chairman of the Japan Semiconductor Industry Association, indicated that the tragedy of the great Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 could yet prove to be a turning a point of for the country and its remaining chip manufacturers.
He opened his presentation by painting a picture of the decline of the Japanese chip industry as a percentage of the global output. This went from 51 percent in 1988 to 44 percent in 1994 to 29 percent in 1998 and to just 20 percent in 2010, he said.
Yamaguchi explained the key events that prompted the decline.
In the 1970s Japan had decided to invest in DRAM production. Increasing sales of personal computers in the 1980s drove DRAM consumption resulting in high volumes and revenues for numerous Japanese chip companies.
The turning point was political intervention by the United States that led to the signing in 1988 of U.S.–Japan Semiconductor Agreement in 1988. Under the agreement Japan agreed to not to sell DRAMs at below cost and also to raise the U.S. market share in the Japanese chip market from the prevailing 10 percent to 20 percent. "Limits on Japanese capex and imports helped create South Korea as a force [in DRAMs and semiconductors]," said Yamaguchi.
However, Japan continued to be too conservative Yamaguchi said. Its problems continued when, having been largely forced out of DRAMs it stayed focused on ASIC production for too long. "In the 2000s there was a strong market for SoCs; that is ASSPs rather than ASICs." During this time there was rapid growth in foundry.
Japan has to change
"Japan has to change," Yamaguchi said. And he sees some evidence for that happening, starting with the response to the earthquake and tsunami that devastated his country.
"Renesas made an incredible effort to recover its manufacturing within three months, not six or nine months." He said this shows what can be achieved when people come together on a mission and are prepared to work weekdays and weekends until the goal achieved.
Japanese companies still have a commanding position in some sectors. So the country needs to focus on microcontrollers, NAND flash memory, CMOS sensors, Yamaguchi said.
With much of the global economic growth nearby in Asia Japan is well placed to compete in the many applications that will demand hardware and software solutions; things like mobile consumer electronics and sustainable and energy-related development, healthcare and security.
"We had a lot of issues in our past but we have recognized where we should go!" Yamaguchi concluded.
