Chip Legends

Semiconductor startups are the creative engines which drive the electronics industry because they develop state-of-the-art integrated circuits for next generation products and set the pace for semiconductor innovation. InsideChips is for entrepreneurs, investors, electronics executives, EDA tools marketers,  silicon foundry sales executives, service providers and for executives or firms who wish to do deals with chip startups.

Venture Capitalists obtain a quick-start in sourcing deals and doing due-diligence. Semiconductor startup founders and management can access resources and consultative reports to get their company on a faster track and avoid pitfalls, as well as see what others are doing in their space.  Larger, well established chip makers can track startups for investment, deal making, or licensing.  Companies selling services and products (EDA tools, foundry, PR, rep/distribution, equipment) to semiconductor startups benefit from the extensive database of profiles and follow-up coverage of emerging chip ventures -- enabling them to maximize their business development efforts.  Private investors benefit from an industry insider's stock market viewpoints and analysis of public companies.  InsideChips provides distributors and reps to be on-top of the emerging ventures which can add value to their line card.

The site content is delivered in three channels oriented to industry professionals and investors:

RESOURCE CHANNEL

The left navigation panel is organized under these channels.  Each channel is subdivided by departments.  Membership is supported by subscriptions and start at just $27.00/month.  See membership page for additional details.

The "Chip Legends" project summarizes the pursuits of captains of the silicon industry, as well as other luminaries, gurus and personalities who were instrumental in shaping the early days of the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley and beyond. Click on the picture for additional historical information. While you are browsing, take InsideChips' semiconductor Trivia Quiz.

Redpine Signals Founded in 2001, Redpine Signals distinguished itself in the semiconductor startup community as a classic case of how to succeed and prosper without taking VC money. The initial seed funding came from the founders, family and friends. There are just a handful of chip makers which bootstrapped their growth . . . Continue Fresco Microchip Founded in 2004, Fresco Microchip was created to address the changes that are occurring in the digital television market. The world's broadcast industry is rapidly evolving from analog to digital broadcasting and this initiates the need for universal recep . . . Continue Kilopass Technology Kilopass Technology was founded in Feb. 2001 to develop and market advanced non-volatile memory (NVM) technology, manufactured in standard commercial CMOS logic processes. Kilopass developed fundamental patents for anti-fuse technology. It has 54 patents granted or pending on 1T, 2T, and 3.5T bit cell technologies. Its bit cell architecture is compatible with standard CMOS logic, has the same reliability as the foundry's process, scales easily with the process technology, and reduces overall SoC product cost. . . . Continue Glacier Microelectronics A relatively quiet startup up to now, Glacier Microelectronics, is starting to be noticed on the radar screen as it begins to market its synthesizer IC family of products. . . . Continue Tabula The FPGA market is difficult crack since the industry leaders, Altera and Xilinx, have well-entrenched positions -- making it particularly difficult for startups to make headway. A new FPGA company, Tabula, recently emerged from stealth mode to take on the FPGA giants with a new architecture dubbed "Spacetime." The company even took cues from Albert Einstein's space-time cones to construct its logo with the orange cones. In its coming out road show, the company unveiled its ABAX family of 40nm-based 3PLDs. . . . Continue IO Semiconductor IO Semiconductor (IOsemi) is a San Diego, Calif. based fabless semiconductor startup that is focused on applying new technologies to RF devices for the cellular industry using what it calls its ZEROcapTM CMOS Technology. . . . Continue Linear Signal Linear Signal is an early-stage fabless semiconductor startup pioneering an ultra low-cost beamforming RFIC technology. The roots of the company go back to September 2007 when IPTV veterans began exploring business opportunities with a focus on aiding large edge IP network operators, such as apartment buildings, hospitals and motels effectively become their own cable/telecom providers. . . . Continue SiTune SiTune, a fabless chip startup based in Silicon Valley, bills itself as the "All in-one Solution for Mobile Internet and Entertainment." Founded in September 2006, the company's stated goal is to is to become . . . Continue

Microsemi Continues Acquisition Spree with Brijot Microsemi (Nasdaq:MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced it has acquired the millimeterwave technology and related assets of privately-held Brijot Imaging System . . . Continue Intel Targets Data Centers with Acquisition Intel signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fulcrum Microsystems, a privately held fabless semiconductor company that designs Ethernet switch silicon for data center network providers . . . Continue ANSYS Dips Into Cash Chest to Buy Apache Design Automation ANSYS, (NASDAQ: ANSS), a global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, and Apache Design Solutions, a leading simulation software provider for advanced, low power solutions in the electronics industry, have signed a definitive agreement whereby ANSYS will acquire Apache . . . Continue SiliconBlue Moves its FPGA Agenda Forward With Fourth Funding Round SiliconBlue® Technologies, a pioneer in low-power FPGAs for handheld applications, closed an $18 million Series D funding. Proceeds from the financing will be used to bri . . . Continue Aquantia Scores Late Stage Funding Aquantia, a developer of 10Gigabit Ethernet connectivity solutions for cloud computing and large scale data center deployments, has closed its latest round of financing. . . . Continue INSIDE Secure Licenses Advanced ARM SecurCore Technology INSIDE Secure is planning to provide 32-bit secure processor solutions based on the industry-leading ARM® architecture. Under the terms of a licensing agreement with ARM, INSIDE can now utilize the ARM SecurCore® SC300™ processor for its next generation of secure payments, digital security and NFC solutions. . . . Continue Thieves Aprehended in Silicon Valley Chip Mega-Heist Silicon Valley's biggest theft is well on the way to being solved.  The heist was carried out by about 15 masked gunmen who walked off with about $37 million street value of Flash memory chips./ . . . Continue Altair Secures Funding to Ramp Up Marketing Effort Altair Semiconductor has completed a $26 million round of funding, led by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). All of Altair's existing investors, . . . Continue GEO Semiconductor Secures Equity and Debt Funding GEO Semiconductor, a developer of high performance, programmable 2/3D video and geometric pixel processor IC solutions that enable large new markets in LED-backlit LCD displays and smartphone cameras (optics through sensor), announced more than $1 million in funding comprised of convertible debt and equity. . . . Continue NXP Secondary Offering to Benefit Private Equity Investors NXP Semiconductor, the private equity-owned chipmaker (former Motorola spin-off) that completed a successful IPO last year, is launching a secondary offering of $700 million in stock. . . . Continue Tabula Nabs Biggest Venture Pot in Decade Tabula, a privately held fabless semiconductor company and developer of the ABAX family of 3D Programmable Logic Devices (3PLDs), has secured $108 million in Series D funding. The amount is significant because it is the largest round awarded to a private semiconductor company over the last decade. . . . Continue Picochip Expands, Secures Debt Financing Picochip has completed its move into a new headquarters and engineering center in its home city of Bath England. The recently renovated Georgian buildings now accommodate all of the company's 110 head . . . Continue

FPGA Developer Achronix Expands Management Team Achronix Semiconductor recruited former Altera executive, Robert Blake, as the company's new president and CEO. Blake joins Achronix on the heels of a recently announced $45 million series C mezzanine financing and . . . Continue Infinera Taps Executive As VP of its Asia Pacific Operations Infinera named Andrew Bond-Webster as VP of sales for Asia Pacific to accelerate the company's focus on marketing Digital Optical Network solutions in the Asia Pacific region . . . Continue

Managing Open Source Licensing for Semiconductors Software is a massive enabler for the semiconductor industry. Drivers, real-time operating systems (RTOS), software development kits (SDKs), networking & security, administration, media formatting & compression, and of course an endless list of applications. The semiconductor industry now spends more on software development than on all other R&D aspects. But how do developers build all of this software at a reasonable cost? . . . Continue Semiconductor Innovation in an Investment Constrained Economy The current innovation climate in the semiconductor industry is alive and well but entrepreneurs have to adjust to the realities of the current economic situation and investment trends. The world's governmental economic development agencies have always looked at Silicon Valley with envy and paid big money to try to find the key which would unlock the secrets . . . Continue

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