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iniewski
that is very true @reneCardenas...which is probably why we have Xilinx-Altera ...
ReneCardenas
But doesn't the sheer size and time required to establish a good tool ecosystem ...
Silicon Valley Nation: Xilinx, Altera all grow'd up?
Brian Fuller
10/2/2012 2:55 PM EDT
X factor
Days later I ventured here to Xilinx to connect with Steve Glaser, senior vice president corporate strategy and marketing, and an old Cadence Design hand. I tried to get him to rise to the bait. Altera is faster out of the blocks on 20-nm; Xilinx is sometimes quicker to market but Altera gets it 'right,' some say. Blah blah. He wouldn't rise.
Sure, his slide decks had the traditional compare/contrast of the two companies in key areas, but in the conversation, which went on for an hour, he said nary a negative word.
Instead, he said, talked about programmable logic vendors needing to solve larger system-design issues. "It's a corporate transformation story becoming an industry-transformation story," Glaser said.
He went on:
Cost, perspective, pedigree
That system focus has not come cheap: The company has spent $100 millon retooling its software suite, Vivado, and another $300 million in development of various sorts for 28-nm, including 3-D IC and SoC technology.
But over the years, Xilinx has pulled in non-traditional electronics-industry executives to bring a new vision to their brand of programmable logic semiconductors. Glaser's pedigree not only is Cadence but the old ASIC powerhouse VLSI Technology; CEO Moshe Gavrielov came out of EDA (Verisity and Cadence). An earlier, and successful, Xilinx CEO, Wim Roelandts, brought in a system-level perspective from 30 years at Hewlett-Packard, the last of which was running HP's Computer Systems Organizations.
Glaser started at Xilinx last year. It could be he's staying above the fray and really working with his team to create a different positioning for the company. Or it could a lingering honeymoon before the fights renew at 20-nm. Xilinx is expected to start teasing its technology advancements at that node in Q4.
Stay tuned.
Related stories:
Days later I ventured here to Xilinx to connect with Steve Glaser, senior vice president corporate strategy and marketing, and an old Cadence Design hand. I tried to get him to rise to the bait. Altera is faster out of the blocks on 20-nm; Xilinx is sometimes quicker to market but Altera gets it 'right,' some say. Blah blah. He wouldn't rise.
Sure, his slide decks had the traditional compare/contrast of the two companies in key areas, but in the conversation, which went on for an hour, he said nary a negative word.
Instead, he said, talked about programmable logic vendors needing to solve larger system-design issues. "It's a corporate transformation story becoming an industry-transformation story," Glaser said.
He went on:
"I'm talking about giving an alternative to implement systems. A lot of our customers have both of us. In the end, it really comes down to value. If we can't demonstrate unique value--either of us--we're not going to flip the competitor into our space, and we're not going to expand the available market. It's not just about A v. X. A lot of our growth is not versus Altera. It's about the next-level of integration--in integrating that CPU or DSP or those traffic-management functions, that may have been done earlier in an ASSP or an ASIC."Glaser said today 60 percent of the business is fighting for the socket, but 40 percent is fighting for "system value," or that next-level integration, and that's a fundamental difference between now and then.
Cost, perspective, pedigree
That system focus has not come cheap: The company has spent $100 millon retooling its software suite, Vivado, and another $300 million in development of various sorts for 28-nm, including 3-D IC and SoC technology.
But over the years, Xilinx has pulled in non-traditional electronics-industry executives to bring a new vision to their brand of programmable logic semiconductors. Glaser's pedigree not only is Cadence but the old ASIC powerhouse VLSI Technology; CEO Moshe Gavrielov came out of EDA (Verisity and Cadence). An earlier, and successful, Xilinx CEO, Wim Roelandts, brought in a system-level perspective from 30 years at Hewlett-Packard, the last of which was running HP's Computer Systems Organizations.
Glaser started at Xilinx last year. It could be he's staying above the fray and really working with his team to create a different positioning for the company. Or it could a lingering honeymoon before the fights renew at 20-nm. Xilinx is expected to start teasing its technology advancements at that node in Q4.
Stay tuned.
Related stories:
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iniewski
10/3/2012 10:35 AM EDT
Interesting take Brian...perhaps FPGA industry is getting mature...unless Tabula can make inroads against the established positions of Xilinx and ALtera...Kris
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ReneCardenas
10/5/2012 11:04 AM EDT
But doesn't the sheer size and time required to establish a good tool ecosystem prevent others to join in the viable system solutions.
I wish other well, but see their chances very grim to raise to the level require to present any challenge.
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iniewski
10/5/2012 11:14 AM EDT
that is very true @reneCardenas...which is probably why we have Xilinx-Altera duo-poly...Atmel has a small niche and others like Tabula are trying but chances are small that they will join the big 2 because of teh sheer size of the investment required
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