Kyle Bickford, Peter Polito, and Sarah Gilyard pose for a photo in front of the paper presentation at Semicon West.JMP's presence at the recent SEMICON West conference in Phoenix proved to be a strategic move, highlighting the importance of engaging directly with key JMP customers and the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry.
The conference, a major event for the microelectronics world, was a crucial venue for JMP to reinforce existing relationships, generate new leads, and conduct essential market reconnaissance.
Why we must be there
As Senior Systems Engineer Peter Polito noted, the primary reason for JMP's attendance is straightforward: our customers are there. Nearly all the top conference sponsors are JMP's Premier and Strategic accounts. Being present alongside these partners is key to nurturing those relationships and showing our commitment to the industry.
The conference provides a platform for introducing new product innovations. Polito and Senior Product Manager Sarah Gilyard presented a paper on the new Bayesian Optimization platform. Polito says this feature is particularly useful for fab engineers trying to figure out how to leverage a 'bad' DOE. “They need to know how to take advantage of the data they do have," he said.
New platforms and unexpected engagement
The poster session, despite its late timing, highlighted the enthusiasm for JMP's focused solutions. Attendees sought out the JMP presentation, with many expressing excitement to see a JMP paper on the agenda. Polito recounted having 20-25 "really good conversations" with a mix of current JMP users, those who work closely with JMP users, and even those new to the product. Crucially, roaming the exhibit hall made it "plainly clear" that at least 80 percent of vendors should be JMP customers if they are not already, leaving Polito with the strong conviction that SEMICON West is an untapped mine for building relationships and gaining leads.
Navigating the AI landscape
The conference solidified the need for JMP to stay focused on its unique strengths. Gilyard observed that nearly all "Smart Manufacturing" sessions centered on enterprise-wide, AI-driven, real-time analytics platforms, with a massive influx of software startups targeting the industry. Gilyard says this trend means our own customers are now becoming competitors on some level.
The reception at the poster session offered a key insight: many engineers were pleased to see an offering geared towards individual engineers and smaller-scale process development projects, maintaining an essential R&D focus distinct from high-volume, real-time solutions.
Amplifying our unique position
Gilyard emphasized how vital it is for JMP to maintain its presence to keep our product and name in the collective conscience of semiconductor professionals. Staying current in the rapidly evolving analytics landscape is critical for understanding our competition and positioning our product.
JMP holds a unique advantage as an "all-purpose data exploration tool" in the semiconductor ecosystem, allowing us to "peacefully coexist" and potentially integrate with these larger, real-time systems. By focusing on what we do best, making ad hoc data exploration faster and easier for engineers, we can effectively set ourselves apart from the crowd and continue to leverage our strong footprint in the industry.
Attending these conferences ensures JMP remains proactive, not defensive, in a dynamic market.
