Brian Fuller Editor in Chief

The question of the day in the electronics business and the subject of this year's Mid-Year Forecast report: 'Is it in the cards?' The answer is a cautious 'yes,' as cautious as everything is today.

Most analyst houses see a rebound this year from the past two dreadful ones, but the optimism is tempered as virtually all the crystal-ballers cut back their outlook from double- to single-digit growth. The variances are significant: IC Insights' Bill McLean offers a high-end scenario of 20 percent growth this year over last; 8 percent on the low end.

The biggest question is not when the rebound will occur (it always does and always will), but what will the world look like then? Clearly, it will be a changed landscape. Chief among the questions is what the compound annual growth rate of the semiconductor business will be in this brave new world. Are the days of 17 to 19 percent CAGRs done? Anthony Cataldo posits in one of our regional reports that the days of 10 percent semiconductor CAGRs are upon us. If true, that has enormous implications for the entire electronics food chain.

The new landscape also will feature a surging foundry market as the high cost of semiconductor manufacturing forces more and more companies out of the fab business. Mike Clendenin writes from Taipei, Taiwan, that the battle for foundry customers' hearts and minds is engaged. Junko Yoshida reports from Europe that everyone is waiting for the telecommunications sector to re-emerge after the cataclysmic collapse of the past few years. While 3G stutter-steps toward acceptance, the good news for semiconductor companies is that silicon content is rising in handset designs.

There are downturns and then there are downturns. In each, it's always darkest before the dawn. But electronic design is forging ahead in the name of Moore's Law to satisfy the demands of an increasingly electronics-hungry public.

New tech: stick to the core By Jerald G. Fishman Opportunity via innovation By Robert Lefort New wave of packets looms By Greg Lang Board-on-chip emerges By Nick Martin IP to shrink and stretch By Michael Gulett Differentiate by design By Alan Naumann The customer is a partner By Dian Yang A humbler, wiser valley By Jacques Benkoski Nanometer insight, control By Sang Wang Manufacturability to fore By Walden C. Rhines 'Techonomics' of design By Aart De Geus High-tech groundhog day By John East Partnerships are critical By Jackson Hu Intuitive, reliable nets By Scott Kriens Customer experience is key By John Dickson Change culture to grow By Rajeev Madhavan Exiting the recession By Jacob Jacobsson There'll always be an EDA By Mike Tsai Reducing system costs By Howard Sachs Fundamental shift needed By Arthur Chang Put Moore's Law on hold By Tommy Eng Use it or lose it By Vic Kulkarni Provide a competitive edge By Toshio Nakajima

Digital media hits home By Thinh Tran Asian fabs are now at risk By George Burns Invest in your employees By C. Michael Chang The worst is now behind us By Sharad Malik Recheck fundamentals By Andy Bryant Good timing, good tides By Doug Bailey ROI critical factor today By Luc Burgun Consumer spending is key By Jackson Kreiter Standard cell is broken By Dave Holt Markets share players By Bill Hoolhorst Downturn brings windfall By Jauher Zaidi Best or worst of times? By Paul Zuber The eye of the storm in focus By Scott McGregor Three keys for charting the course By Steve Goldman Shift architectural approach By Tom Hart Right apps to drive innovation and growth By Ivan Greenberg A lesson of supply and demand By Jim Derbyshire Nanometer success is in the model By Vess Johnson Positive catalyst: uncertainty By Ken McElvain Fundamental shift in business model? By Jeremy Bennett ESL design brings profits By Shay Ben-Chorin Shift in production and consumption By Michael Kaskowitz

Maturing chip industry looks at 10% CAGRs By Anthony Cataldo Russia's design houses battle the skeptics By Peter Clarke Europe's telecom industry waiting to exhale By Junko Yoshida

India's design centers buck economy's trend By K.C. Krishnadas Hot consumer items boost Japan's recovery By Yoshiko Hara Asia expands foundries despite bad times By Mike Clendenin

Pieces in place for accelerated IC recovery By Bill McClean Communications chips slow out of the gate By Bill McClean EDA takes brief detour before the main road By Laurie Balch Expectations down for DSP market growth By Will Strauss Memory ICs growing-but still tough going By Andrew Norwood

Displays: bright side of economic downturn By Paul Semenza MEMS at a crossroads or maybe stuck in a traffic circle? By Marlene Bourne Power supply industry enters perfect storm By Marianne D'Aquila Conditions bode well for venture-backed startups By Irwin Federman