Intellectual Property
Issue VII 2009
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17
Is Merchant IP in DSM Dead?
Tony Harker, recently CEO at iSLI, a collaboration in System Level Design by four
of Scotland’s leading universities, and now a consultant to the design world
provides his opinions on the challenges facing the merchant IP business as
IC manufacturing continues its march down the Deep Submicron (DSM) path.
T
he march of DSM to ever smaller Are we therefore headed for a “Super league”
dimensions continues despite Moore of IP companies populated by those that can
and his often quoted law. Whilst this is great for afford the subscription fees?
those companies that need the vast integration OK – we all know about Moore and his law.
levels and can afford the development and We all know DSM is driving down close to 20nm
mask costs. The technical challenges and dimensions for mainstream digital systems and a
financial hurdles offered by these technologies lot of us know how challenging it is to design in
threatens to freeze out the smaller IP providers. these technologies. The market pressure to get
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