Market Structure, Learning and Product Innovation: Evidence for the EPROM Market

The study analyses the market for semiconductor memory chips, in particular EPROMs. Semiconductors are very interesting industry for studying empirically the dynamics of innovation. Given the short product life cycles of generations of chips, the market dynamics unfold much more rapidly than in other industries and are therefore better amenable to empirical observation. One of the aims is to shed more light on the link between learning and the dynamics of product innovation, as well as their influence on market structure. Learning with an old generation turns out to be an important determinant for product innovation. The further down the firm has moved on the learning curve, the higher its market share, and the larger becomes the probability that the firm is an early innovator. The results are consistent with the persistence of leadership hypothesis.