Then, I asked for the IP vendors themselves to respond to a set of questions. Here's one letter to the editor:

Editor,

Many of us in the industry were disappointed (some enraged) with the IP article written by Mark LaPedus. Some felt that acknowledging his article in any way would give it life and they would prefer to let Mark's opinion on the IP industry die.

Some have already written good letters and others will come. As the previous executive director of the VSI Alliance, developer of the Quality IP Metric, I can tell you that what Mark put in print is discussed frequently behind closed doors.

Every company I've worked with agrees that IP from independent vendors is a necessity in order to develop mega chips and reduce time to market. What they can't figure out is how to make sure the IP industry not only exists but thrives beyond the few larger suppliers that exist today.

I've heard many IP companies report to me that they are constantly beat up on price and they can't get the value from their man-years of development and the service and support required to help their customers integrate the IP. The integrators don't want to pay much for IP and they certainly don't want to pay for the service and support required for most cores.

While Spirit, Si2, IEEE and until recently, the VSIA, help create standards that should mitigate some of the integration issues, making it an easier process with less support required by the IP vendor, unwillingness from the integrator to include IP partners in pre-design stage, manufacturing changes and shifting standards developed by the IEEE and other recognized electronics standards organizations mean that integration issues will always exist and IP vendor support will always be required. They can't just sell IP but must be a partner through development.

Companies like ARM, Synopsys and Mentor can credibly represent healthy business models but it's time for the small-to-medium sized IP vendors to come together to create a better environment that can help demonstrate the value of IP products and support and give more visibility to an industry that is desperately needed but ignored. Working through standards groups won't provide the type of networking both IP suppliers and integrators they need to create a stronger, healthier industry.

Long ago the fabless companies come together to form a group that could help them achieve their goals and be recognized and served by the foundries. It is now time for the IP industry to come together and standup for itself.

IP needs better representation!

Susan Cain
Previous VSIA Executive Director
Cain Communications