Software savvy in the digital era

Since its earliest innovation, which relayed telegraphic communications by using needles to point to a series of letters rather than utilizing Morse code, Siemens has spent the better part of two centuries at the forefront of technological development. But to become the high-tech titan of today, employing some 400,000 people globally, success hasn’t come without a willingness to change it up. According to the Siemens software group’s Vice President of Electronics and Semiconductor Industry Fram Akiki, it’s the company’s ability to continually adapt that has kept it on the cutting edge of technology solutions.

“Over the last four decades, innovation in electronics and semiconductors have really propelled a tremendous evolution in products and services. I tend to break this timeline down into three different eras, the compute, connected and the current digital eras,” describes Akiki. “The progression to modern-day electronics started in the late 70s with the mainframe computer, and ultimately the PC and laptop. This was enabled by the development of microprocessors and memory chips. Similarly, in the 2000s, the connected era kicked off with the advent of the iconic smartphone device, pushing semiconductors to further develop communication technologies like cellular wireless – 3G, 4G and now 5G. As these technologies have matured and become widespread, we’re starting to enter into the third phase: digitalization.”