Computing for the Masses

The first challenge to address is the sobering fact that IT market growth appears to have reached a point of stagnation. The IT market size is measured by the total expenditure on computer and network hardware, software, and services. The second challenge is that inertial and incremental technology progress faces limitations. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) is the authoritative report on the 15-year assessment of future technology requirements for the semiconductor industry. Computer science as an academic discipline also faces challenges. For the past five decades, computing has always been a highly regarded profession in China. However, one now sees a disturbing phenomenon: Parents of university freshmen are advising their children to study business or law to make a good living. An obvious goal of computing for the masses is to expand the user base to 80% of the population.