IBM forms design, foundry, consulting services unit

IBM forms design, foundry, consulting services unit
By Semiconductor Business News
October 8, 2002 (7:00 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20021007S0007

ARMONK, N.Y--IBM Corp. here today formally unveiled its new design/foundry/consulting service unit designed to help OEMs develop everything from complex chips to entire systems.

The unit--IBM Engineering & Technology Services--was originally disclosed last June. As reported, IBM Corp.'s Microelectronics Division announced a major push into the high-end foundry business, but it also said it would lay off 1,500 engineers and technicians from its older manufacturing operations. It also set plans to form a services business unit as well (see June 4 story ).

Meanwhile, to propel the new unit, IBM has shifted more than 700 design engineers worldwide into the organization and expects the number to increase to more than 1,000 by next year, said Pat Toole, general manager of IBM Engineering & Technology Services.

"We're taking a skills-on-demand approach to bringing customers top- tier engineers who are highly experienced in wrapping the appropriate intellectual property into a solution," he said in a statement. "We also will be a portal into other parts of IBM, such as financing, research and development and consultants who innovate, integrate and accelerate time-to-market."

The new unit will focus on four basic categories:

*Business solutions: business process optimization; e-design including verification and web hosting; technology migration, consulting for SOI technology and manufacturing consulting.

*Technology Optimization: silicon optimization, circuits, arrays; frequency and power tradeoffs; yield analysis and chip/module/board optimization.

*System Solutions: component and platform development; system level optimization, plus hardware/software integration and test.

*Technology Outsourcing: including semiconductor fabrication operation services and full product development mission outsourcing for chip and system solutions.