Famous quote by David Milne

"We have been a fabless semiconductor company for a number of years now"

About this Quote

The statement declares a settled identity and strategy: design-centric, asset-light, and deeply integrated into the global foundry ecosystem. Being fabless means the company does not own or operate fabrication plants. Instead, it invests in architecture, circuit design, verification, software, and intellectual property, while partnering with specialized foundries for wafer fabrication and usually with OSAT vendors for assembly and test. The model shifts capital intensity and manufacturing risk to partners, freeing resources for innovation and market responsiveness.

Saying it has been fabless “for a number of years” signals maturity rather than a recent pivot. That duration implies established relationships with foundries, proven design-for-manufacturability practices, robust tape-out experience across process nodes, and a track record of delivering products through external supply chains. It reassures customers and investors that the operating model is stable, scalable, and capable of surviving semiconductor cycles and capacity crunches.

Strategically, this approach benefits from best-in-class manufacturing without bearing the multibillion-dollar costs of building and upgrading fabs. It enables faster time-to-market, access to advanced nodes and specialty processes (e.g., RF, analog/mixed-signal, power), and flexibility to match process technology to product needs. It also concentrates talent on high-value IP, signal processing, low-power design, integration, and software ecosystems, where differentiation is strongest.

The model’s trade-offs are real. Dependency on foundry capacity and geopolitics introduces supply risk; node availability and wafer allocation can constrain growth. Yield learning and process portability require close technical collaboration with partners. Cost structures lean more on operating expenses and margin-sharing rather than fixed-asset leverage. Mitigation typically involves multi-sourcing, long-term agreements, early capacity reservations, and rigorous supply-chain planning.

Overall, the statement conveys confidence: the organization understands the complexities of the fabless model and has operated it long enough to refine its processes, cultivate supplier trust, and prove that its competitive edge lies in design excellence and ecosystem orchestration rather than owning silicon factories.

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About the Author

David Milne This quote is written / told by David Milne between January 8, 1882 and December 26, 1953. He was a famous Artist from Canada. The author also have 17 other quotes.
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