THE global semiconductor industry is witnessing a shift in terms of programmable chips that can be customised for specific and individual requirements.

These programmable chips bring flexibility in terms of faster design, customisation and are cheaper, says Chief Technology Officer of Xilinx Corporation, Mr Ivo Bolsens.

Xilinx is a semiconductor company that focuses on new approach to semiconductor design referred to as field programmable gate array (FPGA) as opposed to fixed designs.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Bolsens, who is visiting the India development centre, said "the semiconductor industry has gone through rapid transformation. The first phase witnessed integrated chip designers and manufacturers; then came the separate group of manufacturers and chip designers with fabless companies. Now we are drifting to the third stage where there are designers who provide basic inputs and these can be customised depending on requirements."

So how will this impact the industry? Using FPGA, new chip versions can be developed for a few hundred million dollars. In contrast, traditional methods took about $10 to 30 million. Their applications range from communication and electronic devices to telecom equipment.

To expand Indian operations

THE Managing Director of Xilinx India, Mr Akshya Prakash, and the Chairman and Managing Director of CMC Ltd, Mr R. Ramanan, where Xilinx centre is located, said that the company managed to generate 12 IP products in the first year itself. This has helped the company to look at the option of ramping it up.
"We are committed to increasing the R&D headcount here to about 300 in the next two years and expect to expand the range of work," Mr Ramanan said