The Ascendance of Semiconductors

Join the CALCE/SMTA Counterfeit Parts and Materials Symposium 2022 for this and other informative presentations

Michael Knight

Exponential Technology Group  and TTI, Inc

Abstract: Today, semiconductors are the fourth most traded product in the world, only eclipsed by fossil fuels and the automotive market. A remarkable rise gave that semiconductor origins date back only 75 years while the use of fossil fuels as an energy source dates back thousands of years.  Before this decade comes to an end, semiconductor trade with exceeding $1 trillion in annual value, eclipsing even fossil fuels. This is inevitable given the exponential growth in the applications for electronics, including technologies that enable green energy sources. And the dominance of semiconductors will prove to be even more transformative than that of fossil fuels. 

Bio: Michael Knight is President of the Exponential Technology Group and Corporate Senior Vice President of business development at TTI Inc, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. Michael has worked in the electronic components industry since the mid-1980s when he landed in Cupertino California and began his career adventure working for Western Microtechnology, a pioneer in semiconductor distribution. He has held a variety of national and global leadership roles in sales, marketing, information technology, operations, and general management, in both private and public companies.

Prior to joining TTI in 2004, Knight worked for a number of electronic component distributors and manufacturers and was a founder, President, and COO of Substrate Technologies Inc., an advanced semiconductor substrate manufacturing company. Knight holds several patents in the area of impedance-controlled high-speed interconnect systems. He is a regular speaker at industry and supplier conferences and podcasts where he covers technology trends and their ramifications for the industry, the economy, and the future of humanity. His day job includes sourcing and leading TTI’s acquisition efforts, aimed at diversifying its business, and managing the Exponential Technology Group which is comprised of five businesses that specialize in contract electronic product design (with a heavy focus on IoT) and leading-edge semiconductor distribution for the communications, automotive, IoT and industrial market segments. This gives him a firsthand look at the latest technology trends and applications.

Knight has a long history of service on the boards of directors for several of the associations that support the industry, and he currently serves on the advisory board for the Women in Electronics Association. He is also a member of the board of directors of Macrofab, an early stage, private equity and venture capital-backed innovator/disruptor in the electronics manufacturing space.