IP design around the chipset architecture, security and cutting-edge performance improvements has been the key to the semiconductor supply chain. Intel has been dominating the CPU architecture for the computing market with its x86 instruction set, while Arm revolutionized the smartphone market with its cutting-edge chipset architecture.
However, both the personal computer and smartphone markets are approaching saturation, while the “pure play” semiconductor IP market is stepping into a new era. Research Analyst William Li said, “The global semiconductor IP market is nearing an inflection point as the ratio of semiconductor content within a solution is accelerating, with a need for diverse and open approach across the compute, memory, security and other architectures.
This demand is being mainly driven by the growth of advanced applications such as AI-enabled smart devices, 5G communications, High Performance Computing (HPC) and autonomous cars. The semiconductor content growth will drive product value growth in the IC design and IP licensing industry.”