re: Siverge Picks Up Chip TrailPicking up where PMC, Vitesse and AMCC have left off? Am I missing something? All of these companies are desperately seeking a source of any profit and Siverge claims that with 12 MUSD investment that they've cracked the code that these guys couldn't? Where is your critical analysis, Craig?! And while integration sounds great on paper, it rarely works out being the "killer app" that companies expect. And for the record, remember PMC's ADM-on-a-chip? How big a success was that? Any highly integrated ASSP product is going to be risky as there is no way to fix the bugs without a re-spin. The more complex the chip, the more likely the re-spin. And finally, "resorting" to FGPAs is hardly a defensive strategy anymore. FPGAs are becoming a truly formidable platform that begs the question why one needs to make an ASSP for these high-end applications. Most Tier 1 vendors use them for highly complex chip solutions - even those who traditionally make their own ASIC chips. And there is good reason - you can fix bugs quickly and the volume in this market simply cannot justify ASSPs as PMC, Vitesse and AMCC have worked out. So when is the shoe going to drop for Siverge?
re: Siverge Picks Up Chip TrailYou're not missing anything, Munster, except maybe the word "claiming" in the story lead. I'm not saying Siverge is a guaranteed success; just saying they're out there.
I do believe it's possible for them to have leapfrogged PMC et.al., because those companies have been putting their R&D $$ elsewhere -- plus, chip development isn't as expensive a proposition as it used to be.
Regarding FPGA vs. ASSPs, that's an argument that can go back and forth infinitely. Everything you say about FPGAs sounds true, and their role in the industry has definitely changed/expanded. Then again, don't FPGAs still take up more space than an ASSP? If someone's willing to develop that ASSP, I'd think most vendors would embrace the chance to replace their FPGAs. (In concept, at least; we all know that startups can have a hard time getting sales into big-company customers.)
re: Siverge Picks Up Chip TrailThis start-up will run out of money before they get a working chip out. Many cases happen in the past for such star-up respinning a super chip again and again.
Fair enough. You are claiming. Still doesn't answer my questions though. Here's another one: why have the others stopped investing in this area? Answer: you can't make money here!
The FPGA vs ASSP discussion is interesting, as I believe it is only now that we can start taking FPGA's seriously. Up to now, the key issue was not space, but power consumption. But, with the move to 65nm and 40/45nm geometries this is no longer an issue.
And, I don't see chip development getting cheaper - unless you stay on a much larger geometry, which will lead to higher power consumption with more integration. If you want to follow the FPGAs into 65nm and 40/45nm to meet the same performance targets, then it's a much more daunting economic proposition (we're talking 40 or 50m USD).
And while integration sounds great on paper, it rarely works out being the "killer app" that companies expect. And for the record, remember PMC's ADM-on-a-chip? How big a success was that? Any highly integrated ASSP product is going to be risky as there is no way to fix the bugs without a re-spin. The more complex the chip, the more likely the re-spin.
And finally, "resorting" to FGPAs is hardly a defensive strategy anymore. FPGAs are becoming a truly formidable platform that begs the question why one needs to make an ASSP for these high-end applications. Most Tier 1 vendors use them for highly complex chip solutions - even those who traditionally make their own ASIC chips. And there is good reason - you can fix bugs quickly and the volume in this market simply cannot justify ASSPs as PMC, Vitesse and AMCC have worked out.
So when is the shoe going to drop for Siverge?