Alchip

Infobox Company
company_name = Alchip
company_type = Private
foundation = 2002
location = Taipei, Taiwan
key_people = Kinying Kwan, Founder and CEO
industry = Semiconductors
products = ASIC
num_employees = 200+ (2008)
homepage = [http://www.alchip.com www.alchip.com]

Alchip is a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2002 and headquarted in Taipei, Taiwan. Alchip specializes in the design and manufacture of digital CMOS ASICs.

Location

Alchip's headquarters is in Taipei, Taiwan. Alchip also has locations in Santa Clara, California, Shin-Yokohama, Japan, Shanghai, China, and Hsinchu, Taiwan. [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/about_contact.php?url=6|title=AlChip Global Locations]

History

In April 2002 Cadence acquired Simplex Solutions, an ASIC design services company. [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3755/is_200205/ai_n9147382|title=Cadence Design System to purchase Simplex Solutions for 5.71 times revenue|date=2002-5-2] Alchip was founded six months later by Kinying Kwan and other former Simplex employees as a fabless ASIC supplier. Simplex Solutions had gained notoriety for designing the graphics ASIC for Sony's PS2 game console. [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/previous/web/pdf/Alchip.pdf|title=InsideChips|date=2004-3] Sony became an important customer of Alchip as well. In 2006 80% of Alchip's revenues were from Japan, and most of that was from Sony. [cite web|url=http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20061026/122748/|title=Alchip Leverages Success in Japan to Enter Global Market|date=2006-6] In September 2008 Alchip's relationship with Sony took another step forward when it was announced that it would partner with Sony's microelectronics to provide packaging solutions for Alchip's customer's ASICs. [cite web|url=http://www.ednasia.com/article-21809-alchippartnerswithsonyforsocandasic-asia.html|title=Alchip Partners with Sony for SoC and ASIC|date=2008-9-17] Alchip has recevied venture capital investment from Global Future Group, Investar, AcerVC, Cisco Systems, C2Capital, and TSMC which owns 20% of Alchip. [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/previous/web/pdf/Alchip.pdf|title=InsideChips|date=2004-3] [cite web|url=http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046179/000114554908001593/h02374e6vk.htm|title=TSMC 6-K August 2008 pg. 42|date=2008-8] [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/about_investors.php?url=3
title=About Alchip > Investors|date=2008-8]

Products

Alchip provides physical design, design for test insertion, package design, product qualification, IP licensing, and manufacturing services for digital CMOS ASICs. Alchip has announced products in .13um, 90nm, and 65nm process technologies. Customer ASICs have been announced in a wide range of applications including medical image processing, supercomputing, and networking. [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/news_01.php?id=35&typeid=1|title=Alchip Technologies selected to provide Faster Time-to-Market TurnkeySolution for Mitsubishi Electric Corporation|date=2004-10-04] [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/news_01.php?id=27&typeid=1|title=Alchip Delivers First Silicon Success to TeraRecon's XTrillion Processor Chip|date=2006-4-20] [cite web|url=http://www.alchip.com/news_01.php?id=26&typeid=1|title=Alchip Unveils First Silicon Success of the SING Processor for World's Fastest Supercomputer Developed by the University of Tokyo|date=2006-12-12]

Manufacturing

Alchip outsources semiconductor manufacturing to SMIC and TSMC, which is also an investor. Alchip also outsources package assembly and test. Alchip owns a Verigy 93K tester platform on which it performs test development and the test of ASIC prototypes. [cite web|url=http://www10.edacafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=ICNews&articleid=437129|title=Alchip Selects Verigy V93000 SOC Series Pin Scale as Next Generation Test Platform|date=2007-9-15]

References

External links

* [http://www.alchip.com/ Alchip homepage]