Memory interface IP sector heats up

Mark LaPedus, EE Times
(06/24/2009 12:07 AM EDT)
 
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The current and ongoing downturn has taken a major toll on the semiconductor industry.
But one of the few exceptions to the rule is the semiconductor intellectual-property (IP) business--at least on some fronts. The memory interface IP sector, especially for DRAM, is heating up.

ARM, Denali, Synopsys, Virage and other memory interface IP vendors are now seeing an upswing in business, analysts said. The severe downturn is causing a growing number of OEMs to evaluate or rationalize their internal IP efforts, said Mark Gogolewski, chief technology officer of IP provider Denali Software Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.).

The cost of IP development is becoming expensive for OEMs. ''The investments for DRAM interface development have gone up,'' Gogolewski said.

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