Managing moore's Law: A survival guide for VLSI circuit manufacturers

A qualitative empirical study of the VLSI circuit manufacturing explores the challenges of pursuing Moore's law.; The study finds that - 1) leading-edge VLSI circuit manufacturing ventures tend to be highly profitable, but only if the manufacturer delivers a timely revolution in organizational performance; - 2) fast followers are increasingly having difficulty recovering their investment; and - 3) slow followers have the highest return on investment in the industry.; These findings question whether the pursuit of Moore's law is financially sustainable.; The study also provides an analytical model of a VLSI circuit manufacturing process that helps managers make investment decisions through scenario planning.