Abstract:
In the field of semiconductor chip design, as many more transistors can be integrated on a single piece of silicon, the complexity of system-on-a-chip designs is increasing very rapidly. Rather than design every chip from scratch, it is much more efficient to integrate pre-designed blocks into a single chip. Many semiconductor design companies now design "silicon intellectual property" (SIP) blocks with re-use in mind. Many companies also choose to license some of the more complex blocks from other companies. This has created a new industry for companies who have "an IP business model", that is they do not make or sell chips but develop silicon IP and license it to semiconductor companies. Microprocessor cores are particularly suitable for licensing since they bring a wealth of previously developed software infrastructure with them. MIPS Technologies is a leader in developing 32-bit and 64-bit microprocessor cores and supporting products for digital consumer and networking applications. The company has developed many licensees in Japan and Greater China and is expanding its presence in Taiwan in particular. The talk will address various aspects of licensing SIP to companies in Asia.

Speaker's BIO
James Mac Hale is MIPS Technologies' Vice-President of Asian Operations, with responsibility for sales and market development in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and mainland China. He has been a part of the MIPS organization since 1989. He previously held a succession of Sales and Marketing positions at MIPS Technologies, including Director of Market Development; Director, Semiconductor Licensee Marketing; and Regional Sales Manager, North America. Earlier experience included technical marketing positions at Silicon Graphics' MIPS Group, and MIPS Computer Systems, Japan. Prior to MIPS, Mr. Mac Hale was a software engineer at Nihon Software Kaihatsu, KK. Mr. Mac Hale holds an Electronic Engineering degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, and an MBA from Santa Clara University, California.