Leveraging SoC ecosystem for business growth

Abstract

In recent years, on one hand, the global importance of the semiconductor industry has been rising dramatically. Moreover, European investments are provided to nurture this industry and to facilitate the development of the System on Chips (SoCs). On the other hand, business ecosystems are recognised to play an increasingly significant role in the creation of EU and Finnish innovation and industrial policies. As a response to the compelling need for SoC expertise in Finland, the SoC Hub was founded as the first Finnish semiconductor business ecosystem. It aims to invigorate the semiconductor industry in Finland. First, this thesis studies the phenomenon of business ecosystems in general as well as the SoC ecosystems in specific, especially, the SoC Hub. Second, this thesis explores the value proposition the SoC Hub provides to a large organization such as Nokia. Third, it investigates the future opportunities of the SoC Hub and the research limitations. The research is carried out using a qualitative research approach; the research data was collected through interviewing 6 professionals who worked for the SoC Hub and Nokia. These interviewees have different levels of experience, hence, different perspectives about the value obtained from the SoC Hub and how to leverage it. The work is done to explore the current and possible future opportunities for growth for Nokia by participating in the SoC Hub. Finally, possible risks and recommendations from this collaboration are discussed.