The worldwide semiconductor industry was pegged at an annual value of nearly US$ 300 Billion in 2010 (Source: Semiconductor Industry Association, http://www.sia-online.org). It has shown steady growth over the years despite many ups and downs in the verticals that it serves. The reason for this is the diversification in usage of chips coupled with restructuring of business models within the industry.

With the evolution of the fabless business model and a shift from Integrated Device Manufacturing (IDM) to an R&D-focused, fabless chip organisation, the semiconductor industry has become innovative, highly competitive and fragmented. Today the industry has some of the leading chip solutions being developed by fabless companies. This model has allowed scientists with an entrepreneurial bent of mind to launch their own companies.

CMR has over 24 years of research experience in the Information Technology and Telecommunications domains. Banking upon its rich experience in these domains and to focus on the emerging semiconductor markets, the CMR Semiconductor Practice has been established as an independent research entity. Besides serving the research requirements of the semiconductor industry, the practice will provide useful insights about the chip industry to equipment and device manufacturers.

CMR’s research is chip type-agnostic covering all major chip designs such as FPGAs, ASSPs, DSPs and ASICs. The rationale of covering all of these designs is that they are not competitive but collaborative in nature. Though, they may be more or less performing similar tasks, their applications are varied.

Semiconductor research and advisory services offered by CMR provide industry information along the entire value chain of the communications industry. CMR’s offerings cover:

1)  Industry Profiling Studies

2)  Industry and Segment Analyses

3)  Competitive Analysis

4)  Syndicated Reports

5)  Custom Consulting Studies

CMR adopts a deep-dive approach for segmenting the communications industry, based on applications as well as industry standards and protocols.

CMR Semiconductor Industry Practice Expertise Areas

• Infrastructure Equipment
  
• All communications services and applications evolve out of a robust infrastructure that not only allows the service provider to offer new services but also have a roadmap for scalability and upgrading. The specific features of infrastructure equipments used define application areas that form the basis of any service offerings. At the core of these infrastructure equipments like DSLAMs, BTS, application servers, media servers, gateways and infrastructure routers we find a chip carrying out the underlying computing processes. CMR research on infrastructure chips focuses on providing information and analysis about the usage, latest trends, applications and design innovations that will enable players in taking strategic decisions about the selection of a chip. 
• Network Devices
  Network forms the basis of any communications delivery platform. A number of devices like switches, routers and gateways are used to perform specific tasks on the network. At the core of these devices are processors and semiconductor materials that control the processes that help in data flow, control and management. CMR reports and information bulletins (newsletters) will keep stakeholders abreast of the latest developments and changes in the industry. The chip manufacturers will get information about the requirements and expectations of device manufacturers, while device manufacturers will be able to keep a track on important developments within the semiconductor industry.
• End User Equipment / CPE
  CPE and end-user device manufacturers are facing a number of challenges as existing lines of demarcation get erased. A data device is not capable of being used for voice and vice versa. Convergence at the device level is the focus of equipment vendors. From mobile phones to tablets to laptop PCs, applications are getting cross-pollinated with a variety of devices capable of similar applications. As a device manufacturer, it is critical to know which processor and semiconductor materials should go into the device so that it serves the purpose of the target end user segment. At the chip level, this means a challenge of reducing the size, increasing performance and offering competitive price points. CMR’s research offerings capture insights at the CPE level that provide critical market insights to chip vendors so that their offerings are in sync with industry requirements