Evolution of Management Processes for ASIC Development and Implementation

Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) have enabled system designers to extend the tremendous capabilities offered by micro-miniaturization over the last 30-40 years. Management processes for IC development have evolved as the industry has transitioned from "vertically integrated" design and manufacturing to one having a distributed and global supply chain. While technical challenges have been reported extensively, this paper will provide an overview of the changes in management processes for the successful development of massively complex integrated circuits. Special focus will be on the entrepreneurs at emerging companies whose goal is usually the development of a special purpose ASIC using the fabless, distributed supply chain business model. It will be shown that addressing the business, and both human and corporate relationship aspects are crucial to successful coordination of the supply chain in order to deliver ASIC products on time and within the projected cost targets.