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Change the Solder Alloys and Laminate
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Silicon Glen Proceeds with Cluster Plan
The Scottish government has announced plans to invest $66.6 million toward creating a unique semiconductor business cluster that would make Silicon Glen a worldwide technology hotspot.
Andy McDonald
Since 1950, approximately 700 multinational companies have located their overseas operations in "Silicon Glen," Scotland`s high-tech hub circling the country`s central belt. At first, the country`s strong tradition in manufacturing lured companies such as IBM (Figure 1), NCR, Philips and Ciba to Scotland to gain market share within Europe`s post-war economy. Today, Silicon Glen is home to many "high-skills" sectors such as biotechnology, optoelectronics, semiconductor and software engineering.
U.S.-based companies have tapped into Scotland`s strengths to enhance their organizations` growth, profitability and future earnings potential. Companies such as Motorola, Quintiles, NEC, Manpower and Sun MicroSystems (Figure 2) have all found their way "across the pond."
Now that Silicon Glen`s roots are firmly in place, Scotland is well positioned for its government`s latest initiative - creating a global semiconductor cluster in Scotland.
Last summer, the Scottish government announced a $66.6 million investment over the next three to five years toward a novel cluster strategy aimed at making Scotland the world`s "techno-hotspot" for semiconductor design, development and manufacturing. The funds will be allocated through Scottish Enterprise (SE), the U.K. government agency responsible for economic development.
According to Crawford Beveridge, chief executive of SE, Scotland must adopt an aggressive stance if the country is to retain jobs, compete in the knowledge-driven economy and become a world center for semiconductor research, design and development.
One of the main goals behind the cluster approach is the desire to create up to 14,500 new jobs by 2004. Within a cluster, participant organizations in related industries work cooperatively to achieve mutual benefits. The dynamic partnership includes design firms, manufacturing facilities, universities, customers, industry organizations and suppliers to the semiconductor field.
Other than the jobs target, this new semiconductor cluster has three other ambitious objectives: In five years, Scotland plans to create a new wafer foundry, the first indigenous global semiconductor manufacturing company, and Scotland`s first $100 million semiconductor/optoelectronics company.
This government-sponsored initiative follows an intensive two-year development period. During that time, Scotland started building an infrastructure to harness its strength in academics, research, design and manufacturing. Three key projects were cited by Beveridge as the reason behind Scotland`s stronger leadership position within the semiconductor industry - the first one being Project Alba.
Scotland needed an avenue to both showcase its highly skilled workforce and also to convince potential inward investors of the native talent in research, design and development. Thus, in December 1997, Project Alba (a collaboration between industry, government and academia) was born to create a world-class environment for system-on-a-chip (SOC) design. The plan`s centerpiece is a design complex called the Alba Center, located on 96 acres in Livingston, midway between Glasgow (Figure 3) and Edinburgh - literally in the "heart" of Silicon Glen.
The initial occupant was San Jose, Calif.-based Cadence Design Systems, one of the world`s leading electronic design automation (EDA) software and design services company. In 1998, Micro Linear Corp., a supplier of integrated circuits (IC) to the computer, communications and industrial markets, followed by opening its European Development Center on Alba`s campus.
For Cadence, the move has already begun to pay off. Last September, the publicly held company announced the world`s first single-chip processor for Internet telephony and audio distribution. The chip, called TRIO, was developed by Cadence for Aplio Inc. Cadence has credited their design services team at Alba for developing the breakthrough technology.
Four more high-tech investments, although not located on Alba`s Campus, were drawn to Scotland because of the Alba Center:
- In June, Level One Communications, a solution provider for high-speed digital signal transmission and networking applications, announced that it would establish its European design and development center there.
- In September, Unisys, a leader in information technology solutions, stated its intention to open a software development center in Glasgow.
- Cisco Systems` R&D operation in Edinburgh was up and running in 1999. The U.S.-based Internet router giant`s Scottish facility was launched to perfect Cisco`s IOS Internet router software. It is Cisco`s largest R&D hub outside of North America.
- Atmel Corp., a designer and manufacturer of semiconductors, announced that it would set up its "design, development and marketing shop" for smart card ICs in Lanarkshire.
With high-technology investment increasing, Scotland wanted to make sure that its 13 universities kept pace with the required number of skilled graduates. The Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI), the world`s first institute to offer a master`s degree in SOC design, was created to help fill this need. Housed within the Alba Center, ISLI is a collaboration between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde Universities.
Classes for the master`s coursework started earlier this year. The coursework is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for system-level design challenges for deep submicron silicon. The ISLI`s coursework includes the six elements that are viewed as critical for SOC design: hardware components, hardware architecture, software architecture, system integration, system applications and technology management.
Companies have begun to depend on ISLI as an important component to their long-term business success. To that end, several industry leaders are actively collaborating with ISLI and tapping into Scottish workers` high-tech expertise. For example, Motorola and ISLI, in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde, are cooperating on an R&D project called Project Cairngorm to improve the effectiveness of mobile phones. The project will make the creation of a mobile phone chip using software and intellectual property from both organizations possible.
Micro Linear, Motorola and Cadence are sponsors of ISLI`s newly created engineering doctorate program. Cadence is also enrolling employees in a modular master`s program at Heriot-Watt University, taught under the auspices of the ISLI. This particular program offers one-week, full-time, short courses tailored to the needs of particular high-tech sectors.
Cadence is also using ISLI as a professional training organization. Cadence`s service division, which works under contract with customers, takes modules from ISLI classes to "fill in" skill sets for new product designs. Concurrently, ISLI is using design modules from Cadence to refine its program for system-level integration and as a premise for future research.
To further solidify its enhanced ties with industry, Scotland has announced an innovative way for companies to market intellectual property (IP) called the Virtual Component Exchange (VCX). In concept, the VCX would be a forum - similar to a stock exchange - where companies could "list" and license IP. Housed on Alba`s campus, the VCX is designed to facilitate the transactions of IP or virtual components between member companies, via an e-commerce backbone. This mechanism will provide companies with instant access to a network of technologies available to license. It is especially important for companies designing products using SOC techniques, because it may accelerate a product`s time-to-market. More importantly, firms could better allocate their resources in making decisions to either search for a much-needed component or spend time in-house "at the bench."
According to Andy Travers, CEO of the VCX, 21 member companies have joined so far. Initial supporters include Motorola, Nokia Group, Toshiba, Phoenix Technologies and Cadence. Last November, six more were added to the roster: Adtran, Simutech, Stellar Semiconductor, Synchronicity, Synopsys and Y Explorations.
A noteworthy demonstration of Scotland`s paramount position in the worldwide semiconductor industry came last November. IP99, the annual European SOC conference, was held in Edinburgh with Beveridge as the keynote speaker.
According to IP99`s sponsor, Scotland`s capital city was chosen because of its proximity to Silicon Glen, the largest concentration of chip manufacturing and design in Europe. The area is considered a center of excellence and has been one of the driving forces behind the intellectual property revolution.
This strong endorsement from the international community has breathed more life into Scotland`s ambitious vision to be a global leader for semiconductor research, design and development.
ANDY McDONALD is the director for Locate in Scotland, North America, Four Landmark Square, Suite 500, Stamford, CT 06901; (203) 325-8525; Fax: (203) 325-8924; E-mail: andy.mcdonald@scotent.co.uk; Web site: www.lis.org.uk.
Figure 1. IBM was among the first entrants to Silicon Glen during the 1950s.
Figure 2. Silicon Valley-based Sun Microsytems found a home in Silicon Glen.
Figure 3. Glasgow is Scotland`s bright spot for high-tech investments.