In my last interview with Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief business officer, we explored some of the operational and community initiatives Micron has launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I asked him back because I wanted to dig into the business implications of this new normal.

Sadana told me the world has indeed changed and customers’ buying patterns have shifted. Rapid expansion of remote working tools means increased demand for DRAM and SSDs for cloud-based services and business laptops. This increase is counterbalanced by a decline in automotive and mobile products. He is expecting those countries that are coming back “online” (an ironic term, since it means the opposite!) to provide a roadmap for those that are still locked down, and we do expect consumer patterns to rebound.

This new “business as usual” is accelerating technology shifts beyond videoconferencing, though. There’s considerable focus on eliminating “last mile” package delivery bottlenecks, including the use of drones, in part for safety reasons. Augmented and virtual reality are also advancing rapidly, offering the promise of “real” experiences when we can’t physically travel.

I couldn’t resist asking Sadana what he’s looking forward to once we’re able to move freely around our world again. “It’s the ability to connect with people that we so took for granted, just shaking hands,” he said. Something to look forward to indeed.

You can learn more about how Micron is supporting our worldwide communities at www.micron.com/covid-19.