As process nodes shrink, so does the selection of chips developed at those nodes. Consumers demand more features and functionality, but that carries a high price tag in terms of both complexity and real dollars. In addition, because costs are skyrocketing, there is growing pressure for those chips to remain reliable and up-to-date for longer periods of time. Jayson Bethurem, vice president of marketing at business development at Flex Logix, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about the need to add flexibility into hardware, how that compares to software updates, and how it impacts security, system performance, and protocol compatibility over time.