82 12. AN ENGAGEMENT WITH SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY
still striving for democratized innovation, which will only be achieved when we have a functioning
economic democracy.
Meanwhile, Aart de Geus puts forth that semiconductor innovation would be most visible
through utilization. I believe that this utilization must be of a progressive nature for innovations
to benefit the masses. Only by means of benefiting all will it be possible to visualize the true
benefits of innovation. For this to materialize, a free-market economy has to be established. He
also points to the enabling of “better” and “sooner” innovation (rather than simply cheaper) as a
desirable means of keeping pace with the speed of innovation in the semiconductor food chain.
I would respond that the best, and perhaps only, sustainable path to this sort of innovation is
through a decentralized supply chain.
Cadence’s Tan calls for deep collaboration in order to reach higher levels of innovation and
financial success in the supply chain. He says that no one in this ecosystem can succeed alone,
but we can all succeed together. I am of the opinion that this collaboration can be achieved only
when all participants in this fabless semiconductor ecosystem have a stake in the success of the
entire ecosystem. Hence, there has to be a change in corporate business managerial systems to
ensure accountability and shared growth and success with all participants, which includes every
employee who is a part of the fabless semiconductor ecosystem.
Finally, Dr. Bose of Atrenta suggests that low-margin demand may be a simple reality in the
semiconductor market, the only possible exceptions being those elite few who are able to move up
the chain to offer more total ownership of systems and services. He further says that there would be
a continued drive to move design to low-cost regions, and the clock is running out for any suppliers
unwilling to adapt. I would say that Dr. Bose is right. e cause for low-margin demand is lost
consumer purchasing power due to U.S. macro-economic policies. e Fed’s monetary policies
since 1970 have resulted in crony capitalism, which has transformed the U.S. economy from a
free-market enterprise system to monopoly capitalism. is has resulted in total ownership by an
elite few. Following policies of globalization with free trade, which drive down the costs of design
by moving design operations to low-cost regions, would further exacerbate the problem of low
marginal demand because of trade deficits that would be added to the U.S. economy.
12.3 A VIRTUAL SIT-DOWN WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS
PART II
As discussed, innovation and collaboration will be key tools for semiconductor makers as they
drive the industry forward. In this virtual sit-down, I’ll be addressing the thoughts of other semi-
conductor leaders including Jack Harding, President and CEO of eSilicon; Kathryn Kranen,
CEO of Jasper Design Automation; David Halliday, CEO of Silvaco and Dr. John Tanner,
CEO of Tanner EDA.
Today, we’re testing the levels of optimism of a handful of semiconductor thought leaders.
Jack Harding, for one, is optimistic. In the book, he credits the semiconductor industry with some
of the world’s boldest innovations, noting that the industry has solved “countless problems with
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