Firms Rethink Fabless-Foundry Model

By Ed Sperling - 31 Jul, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Mark LaPedus As chipmakers move toward 20nm designs, finFETs and 3D stacked devices, the industry is beginning to re-think the fabless-foundry model. Leading-edge foundries are finally getting serious about the “virtual IDM” model, in which vendors will act more like integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), as opposed to being mere production partners. In this model, the found... » read more

Investment Options

By Ed Sperling - 31 Jul, 2012 - Comments: 0

It's clear that something fundamental has changed in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. What's less clear is how this will play out over the long term. Intel's agreement to invest more than $4 billion in ASML to ensure the continued development of EUV and 450mm wafer technology is more than just a one-off deal. It's a very public recognition that the astronomical cost of design and ma... » read more

Foundries Going Greener

By Ed Sperling - 26 Jun, 2012 - Comments: 0

The ongoing push towards green and energy-efficient systems is prompting the silicon foundries to jump on the bandwagon and devise their next-generation processes based on ultra-high voltage technology. For some time, several foundries have offered 1- and 0.5-micron, ultra-high voltage processes with ratings up to 800 volts. But seeking to get a jump for the next wave of designs, the special... » read more

Fabless-Foundry Model Under Stress

By Ed Sperling - 26 Jun, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Mark LaPedus The semiconductor roadmap was once a smooth and straightforward path, but chipmakers face a bumpy and challenging ride as they migrate to the 20nm node and beyond. Among the challenges seen on the horizon are the advent of 3D stacking, 450mm fabs, new transistor architectures, multi-patterning, and the questionable availability of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. ... » read more

Getting Ready For 20nm

By Ed Sperling - 29 May, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Ed Sperling and Mark Lapedus Despite hurdles in getting 28nm rolling and predictions that process technology will stick around for years to come, there appears to be rapidly growing interest in 20nm—at least from the design side. This is significant for a couple reasons. First, for most companies 20nm will be the first encounter with double patterning because EUV still is not viable—... » read more

The 28nm Foundry Crunch

By Ed Sperling - 29 May, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Mark LaPedus Faced with huge and unforeseen demand at the 28nm node, leading-edge foundries are scrambling to play catch-up and are boosting their fab capacities at a staggering pace. But analysts warn that 28nm foundry capacity will be tight throughout 2012, and perhaps into 2013, putting some chipmakers in a pinch. Many blame the 28nm foundry capacity shortfall on a combination of t... » read more

High Performance And Low Power

By Ed Sperling - 14 Apr, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Pallab Chatterjee As mobile platforms become a larger part of the component spectrum, their need for optimization beyond low power has moved to the forefront. Traditionally, standard "line-cord" based products in both the consumer and commercial sectors have used the "G" label processes from semiconductor foundries. These processes had the highest-yielding combination of design rules, d... » read more

Journey To The Center Of The Ecosystem

By Ed Sperling - 14 Jan, 2010 - Comments: 0

From the outside it looks like business as usual, but the race for board seats on the GSA has become particularly competitive this year. GSA originally was created as an organization for fabless companies, but you wouldn’t know that looking at its membership roster. It has evolved into a who’s who of the entire semiconductor supply chain, including everyone from foundries like TSMC and... » read more

Outsourcing’s New Face

By Ed Sperling - 29 Oct, 2009 - Comments: 0

By Ed Sperling As the semiconductor industry digs out from one of the worst downturns in decades, the business of semiconductor design and engineering is changing. While the architecture and features are still being developed by chip companies, the actual work of developing the chip increasingly is being done by third parties. Outsourcing is hardly new concept in business. In the early pa... » read more

Who’s In Control Now?

By Ed Sperling - 31 Jul, 2009 - Comments: 0

By Ed Sperling Power is shifting across the design industry in multiple ways and sometimes across multiple continents, driven by complexity and cost pressures and entirely new forms of competition. On one side of the equation, foundries are dictating more of what goes on up front in the design cycle. Design for manufacturing is a prerequisite at 45nm and below, and they’re the ones dictatin... » read more

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