Fabless semiconductor company Xilinx expanded its regional headquarters in Singapore last week as part of its increased investment in local research and development (R&D).
Established in January 2007, the current R&D team is focused on next-generation field programmable gate array (FPGA) design at 45 nanometer (nm) and below for high-performance applications, working closely with product divisions in the U.S., and R&D centers worldwide. With the expansion—which provides four times the capacity of its previous onsite manufacturing facility and three times the in-house process development resources--the existing engineering team will be expanded to include next-generation FPGA design for high-volume, low-cost applications.
At the event, Xilinx Chairman, CEO and President Wim Roelandts disclosed further plans for investment that includes a joint lab with Singaporan tertiary education center Rebulic Ploytechnic (RP), donating silicon and electronic design automation software that will enable professors and students to be trained in embedded system design and development for a variety of end applications such as video and audio quality enhancement technologies for digital entertainment.
“I am glad that Xilinx has trusted Singapore with its key technology. Xilinx’s R&D team based here is the first in Singapore to design products based on the 45-nanometer technology node. This is a stamp of recognition for Singapore’s IC design abilities, and will help strengthen Singapore’s repute in the semiconductor industry” said Mr. Lim Hng Kiang, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, who was the Guest of Honor for the event.
“Innovation must be done close to the customer,” commented Roelandts.
“The excellent business environment in Singapore, in proximity to our customers in Asia Pacific, allows us to meet increased customer demand for programmable solutions in this rapidly growing, important market for digital consumer electronics. We’re proud to play a role in nurturing the talent pool and broadening support here in Singapore, in collaboration with local industry, academia and non-profit organizations.”
According to Xilinix, since establishing its Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore in 2004, it remains the number one PLD vendor in Asia Pacific, with 48 percent market segment share in CY2006, and shipments from XAP grew by more than 75 percent from approximately USD 375 million in FY2006 to over USD675 million in FY2007.
Today, Asia Pacific and Japan together account for nearly 40 percent of Xilinx total revenues of USD1.84 billion in FY2007 and is expected to account for over half of its worldwide business in the next few years. |
