Intel, Chartered slam semi IP industry

Mark LaPedus, EE Times
(09/26/2008 12:30 PM EDT)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For some time, the semiconductor intellectual-property (IP) industry has been the virtual and ongoing punching bag in the IC business. Lack of standards, quality metrics and business models have hurt the IP industry for years. Profitability remains elusive for many IP vendors. And most--if not--all of those problems continue to haunt the industry as a whole.

At the GSA IP conference here this week, two chip makers--Intel Corp. and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte. Ltd.--took turns in separate presentations and landed some pot shots at the semiconductor IP industry for those and other reasons.

"Customers are aggravated and frustrated with the business models," said Walter Ng, vice president of design enablement alliances with Singaporean foundry provider Chartered, during a presentation at the event.

"There is a problem with the third-party IP vendors in terms of scaling," Ng said. And in terms of IP quality standardization, ''there is a lot to be done in that area."

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