Rambus CEO: Consumer arena now drives IC demand

K.C. Krishnadas, EE Times
(12/05/2006 3:58 PM EST)

BENGALURU, India — Consumer electronics now drives chip demand, Rambus Inc.'s top executive says, and it's proving to be the most demanding customer of all.

Speaking on the "IP Model for Next-Generation Design Platforms," Rambus president and CEO Harold Hughes said the consumer electronics segment is the most demanding in part because the architectures of mobile electronic systems is very different from the plug-and-play systems working on electric power.

It's a different model from the 1980s, when government organizations drove semiconductor demand, and the 1990 to 2005 period, when business needs dictated chip consumption, he said, adding that the intellectual property business is seeing a similar change of scene.

"This difference throws up different needs on the semiconductor players, and the need for specialist semiconductors is growing," he said. Of the $300 billion chip market in 2008, semiconductor R & D is worth between $50 billion and $60 billion, opening opportunities for companies like Rambus (Los Altos, Calif.).

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