The Spirit Consortium created this new class of membership for non-profit organizations and institutes as part of a drive to increase membership, the organization said.

"With Starc taking part in the Spirit Consortium as the first associate member, Starc's funding companies will be able to engage immediately with new technology being developed within the SPIRIT Consortium," said Nobuo Fudanuki, vice president of Starc, in a statement.

Starc is a semiconductor technology research and development institute established and funded by 11 of Japan's leading semiconductor manufacturers. The Spirit Consortium is a global organization focused on establishing multi-faceted intellectual property (IP)/tool integration standards that drive sustainable growth in electronic design.

The Spirit Consortium (San Jose, Calif.) said it plans to provide more information on its plans for the future at a general meeting being held here next week in conjunction with the Design Automation Conference.