Outsourcing can boost IC quality

Jim Lipman, EE Times
(04/17/2006 10:00 AM EDT)

Face it: Like it or not, design outsourcing is becoming more popular in the semiconductor industry. Those who favor outsourcing chip design outside of the United States point to the advantages of lower cost for both overhead and labor. If design operations are spread among different geographical regions in different time zones, another plus is the acceleration of time-to-market for the finished product, since the design is not limited to one working period per 24 hours.

Those who oppose design outsourcing bring up the loss of U.S. jobs and the difficulty of managing remote design operations. Lost in those arguments, however, is an answer to the question of whether design outsourcing affects chip quality. I think it can--and in a positive way.

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