WHERE is the future of Microcontrollers? [Analysis Microchip strategy]

Every Engineer that has participated to seminaries or conferences of the main companies of microcontrollers knows better what is the future of the embedded applications: 32bit also for the cheap applications. And every company has its ARM or Not ARM oriented strategy!

But nobody tell us WHERE will be the Microcontrollers future...

Of course we know that China, India, Mexic and Brazil are the 4 emergent countries, but in the electronics world and micro in particular, which countries will bring the innovations and let's hope the benefits in the silicon world?
Let's analyze the strategies adopted by the Microchip (the 8bit microcontroller leader and well-known for the famous PICmicro) in the choice of the location for the MASTERs Conference 2007.
For the first time, only after 11 years, MASTER Microchip shores in Europe, in particular at Munich in Germany, and at the same time are organized also the MASTER in India, China, South Africa and Brazil.
The interesting aspect is that, even if the market in Europe occupies almost the 30% of the sales(with the trend in gain) against almost the 20% of the China
( Annual Reports 2007 ), Microchip organized just 1 (one) conference in Europe, like 1 in Brazil and Russia but even 3 in China, 3 in India and 3 in South Africa!!

In Europe there aren't many electronics designers?
Production companies draw attention more than the Engineering studies?

Or we are in the front of a real changing in the worldwide hierarchies (we are in the electrionics area, so also the technology and innovation) where US and Japan are by now inaugurated not only by the countries like India, China and Brazil but also the good surprises like South Africa or Romania?
(Microchip (and not only) it has lately opened a development center in Bucharest).

I am glad for the discover that the countries considered from the "Third World" until not even 10 years ago, now are seen like the future of the planet,
but at the same time I am (very) worried about the old-Europe.. .

If You liked this article please