| dc.description.abstract | The worldwide market of semiconductor continues growth. Taiwan foundry and IC design companies, due to marketing demand in many killer applications, such as tablet PC and smart phone.etc, all did good revenue in 2011. However, Semiconductor is still standing at leader position in Taiwan industrial. While IC process is moving to 28nm and 28nm below technologies, the future leading process development and the cooperation strategy with IC design companies will be the significant indicator for future semiconductor technology improvement.
For sure IC process technologies of Foundry business should migrate to next generation with double developing cost together time to time. As long as the demanding volume for killer application products are higher than certain quantity, the profit gained from those products should be sufficient to support the process development cost. Does the total market demanding quantity reach to economic size is the key evaluation point to justify whether to invest in the leading edge technology or not. Based upon the current operating revenue and profit reports of worldwide foundry companies, we estimated at least 4 companies be able to manage 28nm and 28nm below processes development. The other competitors have to be very carefully to evaluate the returning to invest in this leading process.
Taiwan has been built up an excellent semiconductor infrastructure as mention in this article. The design companies in Taiwan should take the advantage to enhance her products developing strength, especially cooperate with local professional foundry companies such as TSMC or UMC, adopting their leading processes to design own super products to fit customers needed. In the mean time, Taiwan design companies may consider alliance with system/design expertise in worldwide, especially from USA to develop new chips in the hottest application field. And then approach China market to gains the market share step by step. People expect more giant design companies like Mediatek be established in Taiwan.
IC design companies must build up very closely relationship with foundry companies in the high-end process era. Design companies therefore are able to take the advantage of leading edge process to design her new application products. Now,those worldwide leading IC design companies such as Qualcomm and Nvidia in USA, anxiety to adopt the most leading process from foundry companies for her leading product lines, since their current worldwide selling volume are sufficient to support the new design cost. Obviously, this food chain reactive become a positive loop from process technology to product design and then to increase marketing share to bring the process in progress flow.
Design environment is a key evaluation item for IC design company, who likes to adopt leading edge technology successfully. The deign environment includes the availability of design cell library and core IPs(intellectual properties) and the equipments..etc. Among foundry、IC design and IC design service companies, who open their own design environment solution to others based upon the mutual IPs alliance or competition strategy. We suggest either foundry suppliers or IC product design companies, both have to pay attention to the role of design service company and consider working with it closely. People will keep eyes on the future cooperation strategy among the tree solution players.
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