| Abstract | With sky-high NRE and CAD costs, and a small industrial IC footprint, not to mention the GFC, it is hard for the erstwhile VLSI impresario to find gainful employment in Australia. This talk will summarize two ways to stay busy that might be a guide to others finding themselves in the same or similar positions.
The first method of 'staying in the business' is illustrated by a company with which the author has been associated for the last few years. The main principle is to find an application which requires a 'System on Chip' approach (that is Analog/RF and digital), can be completed in an older process and doesn't require a preponderance of digital gates. The other important feature is not to become a chip company but to outsource that part of the development process. We shall also learn that while an initial market area might drive the formation and technical direction of the company, another completely unrelated area might be responsible for the ultimate success of the company.
The second method is to take the techniques honed over many decades writing VLSI design software and use them in some completely different area - 'beating swords into ploughshares (or vice versa)'. In this case the other area is Apps for the iPhone and iPad and the application area is Aviation software.
The approaches and outcomes of both methods will be summarized. |