Platform Emergence in Double Unknown (Technology, Markets): Common Unknown Strategy

The proposed chapter deals with platform emergence in double unknown situations when technology and markets are highly uncertain. The interest in technological platform development to enable creation of products and processes that support present and future development of multiple options is widely recognized by practitioners and academics. The existing literature considers that platforms already invented and the development is mostly based on exploiting this common platform core to build future markets and technological derivatives. However, when we are in double unknown situations, markets and technologies are highly uncertain and neither market options, nor platform cores are known. Thus, how to start an exploration? How can one ensure platform emergence in double unknown? What are the market and technology conditions that lead to different strategies of platform emergence? To answer these questions, we formally describe identified strategies and fabricate simple economical model to compare them. We illustrate the insights of the model through a case study of innovative technology development in semiconductor industry. Our results allow for better understanding market and technological conditions that allow for minimization of risks and exploration costs in double unknown and exploration costs in double unknown. Following the principle of value creation across various applications, this work extends the comprehension of generic technology design in double unknown.