Industry Expert Blogs

April 26th is World IP Day, celebrated annually to highlight the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website, “IP is central to addressing the global challenges we face. IP is a powerful catalyst for growth and development and, as such, has a key role to play in improving livelihoods, and safeguarding our planet.”

On World IP Day, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about what ‘IP’ means, focusing in particular on what semiconductor IP is, and why it matters.

What is IP?

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, ‘Intellectual Property’ refers to “property (such as a concept, idea, invention, or work) that derives from the effort of the mind or intellect.” It is also “a right or registration (such as a patent, trademark, trade secret, or copyright) relating to or protecting this property.”

‘Semiconductor IP’ fits this definition, but it goes beyond it. Within the world of semiconductors, ‘IP’ refers to a licensed product that enables System-on-Chip (SoC) designers to create complex semiconductors more quickly by integrating various pre-verified functional building blocks. With the incredible size and complexity of a modern SoC (often benchmarked by the number of transistors per die), it just doesn’t make practical sense to create each piece of functionality from scratch. IP is a must.

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