News Article
SOI draws line in the sand
THE SOI INDUSTRY Consortium announces key focus AREAS for 2009
The SOI Industry Consortium, aimed at accelerating broad adoption of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) across semiconductor markets, announced today its key areas of focus for the current year: IP, low power, and the fabless community. These three pillars form the foundation upon which the consortium will orient both internal resources and external outreach. More specifically, the consortium will work to identify and close any remaining gaps in SOI-specific design IP, further quantify and promote the low-power advantages of SOI, and reach out to educate designers, particularly in the fabless community.
“Despite the uncertainty of the global economy, we are looking at significant market opportunities and expansion for SOI. Those that can play the innovation card this year will be the ones ready with the right new products and technologies when the global economy resumes its upward course. I recently visited many companies in the US, Japan and Europe, who are expressing keen interest in the broad cross-section of expertise the Consortium can leverage,” says Horacio Mendez, Executive Director of the SOI Industry Consortium. “By focusing on IP, low power and the fabless community, the SOI Consortium is providing the most value both for our members and the industry at large.”
A joint survey between the SOI Industry Consortium and the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) last year indicated that low power is the primary driver for designers considering SOI-based solutions. Therefore, both the IP and outreach efforts will put a special emphasis on the green, energy-saving advantages of SOI.
Within the consortium membership, a dedicated IP committee has been actively working to close the remaining IP gaps, thereby facilitating mainstream SOI adoption. Collaboration between various partners will demonstrate the performance of most common IP on SOI and solidify the ecosystem around the foundries. The technology enablement team complements these efforts by accelerating ecosystem collaboration and by joining forces in an ongoing series of benchmarking studies.
To further support the foundries, a special effort is being made to reach out to the design community. Following on the success of last year’s Consortium-sponsored design clinics in Taiwan and in the USA, three more are planned for this year in the USA and India. The Consortium will also be present and/or sponsor workshops at several industry events. Additional chapters of the “SOI Implementation Guide” supporting specific market segments, will continue to be published on a rolling basis.
“Despite the uncertainty of the global economy, we are looking at significant market opportunities and expansion for SOI. Those that can play the innovation card this year will be the ones ready with the right new products and technologies when the global economy resumes its upward course. I recently visited many companies in the US, Japan and Europe, who are expressing keen interest in the broad cross-section of expertise the Consortium can leverage,” says Horacio Mendez, Executive Director of the SOI Industry Consortium. “By focusing on IP, low power and the fabless community, the SOI Consortium is providing the most value both for our members and the industry at large.”
A joint survey between the SOI Industry Consortium and the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) last year indicated that low power is the primary driver for designers considering SOI-based solutions. Therefore, both the IP and outreach efforts will put a special emphasis on the green, energy-saving advantages of SOI.
Within the consortium membership, a dedicated IP committee has been actively working to close the remaining IP gaps, thereby facilitating mainstream SOI adoption. Collaboration between various partners will demonstrate the performance of most common IP on SOI and solidify the ecosystem around the foundries. The technology enablement team complements these efforts by accelerating ecosystem collaboration and by joining forces in an ongoing series of benchmarking studies.
To further support the foundries, a special effort is being made to reach out to the design community. Following on the success of last year’s Consortium-sponsored design clinics in Taiwan and in the USA, three more are planned for this year in the USA and India. The Consortium will also be present and/or sponsor workshops at several industry events. Additional chapters of the “SOI Implementation Guide” supporting specific market segments, will continue to be published on a rolling basis.
