Another example is high-speed networking. Existing networks are too slow to allow high-quality voice and video communication. Existing databases don't allow such data to be retrieved in real time, either. All of these problems are basic engineering problems. What NSF liked about our research program was the way it focused on this group of problems and made them a natural, organically related field of study.
Integration is the key.
The emerging industry is nothing else but the blurring of boundaries between four major industries to develop new products and get them to consumers. These industries are entertainment, computers, electronics and telecommunications. Each used to be completely distinct, but they are now merging together. The blurring of these boundaries, the integration of these products, defines this new industry. At USC, we have already brought in 40 companies, which represent all of these four areas.