Bangalore: A panel discussion on “Opportunities and Growth in the Semiconductor Industry” was organized by India Semiconductor Association (ISA), in partnership with Anita Borg Institute (ABI) for Women in Technology. The Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) of Women in Computing India, a program of ABI, was instrumental in putting together this enlightening and educational conference. This conference was held at the Karnataka Trade Promotion Organization and will be held from 14^th to 16^th of December, 2011.

The ISA session on Women in Technology – Semiconductor, Systems and Electronic was presided over by a number of valued speakers. The Keynote Speaker was Dina McKinney, Corporate Vice President, Technology Group, AMD. The Moderator was Poornima Shenoy, CEO, Latitude Edutech Consulting. The Panel Members comprised – Jaya Jagadish, Director Design Engineering, AMD India; Suchismita Banerjee, Manager, System Engineering, IBM India; Anuradha Srinivasan, Senior Engineering Manager, Intel Technologies India; Deepthi Lakkaraju, Engineer Senior Staff/ Manager, Qualcom India and Sumedha Limaye, Senior Design Manager Microcontroller BU, Texas Instruments.

The conference started with McKinney remembering the late Grace Hopper, who was an inspiration for her. She talked of how “engineering is a team sport” and that there is always a way, provided one wants it bad enough. She talked of how people, innovation and technology should be valued. McKinney talked of integrity, believing in oneself and how life makes things even. She also talked of how “true power is taken” and the time is now for us women to rise to the top.

When asked about various aspects of women in the semiconductor industry, Lakkaraju talked about getting out of our comfort zones because only then can women grab the opportunities to learn. She talked of acquiring “portable skill sets” to get better exposure to various domains. She also talked of making the right decisions, maintaining work-life balance and getting support from family and the concerned organization. Jagadish talked of how innovation is a necessity and how it has to be imbibed by every discipline. She said how India is a young industry in the field of semiconductors and, hence, there is scope for innovation. She also talked of how women can make things happen because “where there's a will there's a way.” Srinivasan talked of how “necessity is the mother of invention” and how we must challenge our status quo because there is always scope for innovation. Banerjee talked of how IBM would get its first woman CEO, Ginni Rometty, in 2012, indicating how women are getting better opportunities in the top level positions and so, there is always hope for all career-oriented women. She also stressed upon how a good corporate culture grooms its employees to improve themselves in all spheres of life. Limaye talked of sincerity, communication and effort in an organization and also how growth is a natural thing, both, in personal and professional spheres. She also talked of how women should have the right skill sets to succeed in the semiconductor industry.

All the esteemed dignitaries at the conference seemed to agree on the fact that making and maintaining relationships is always a good thing. It was an interactive forum where successful, yet, down-to-earth women shared their experiences in the semiconductor industry. It was an eye-opener for many of the women present at the conference, who got the much needed impetus to move ahead in their areas of work. Though the conference majorly centered on the semiconductor industry, all women and men belonging to various fields can inculcate the points highlighted by the notable women in the conference.