Starting with a quick explanation (those familiar with ASIC can skip this paragraph), the opportunity lies in the fact that the evolution of electronics has been progressive miniaturisation, which brings with it very much reduced manufacturing cost, in volume, but a significant increase in development cost. This notion has held true for decades, but it is now outdated. It is entirely feasible to develop entire circuits on one bespoke chip designed specifically for a single customer; and owing to dramatically improved production yield, it can be done in low volumes and at low cost. The opportunity for SMEs is to take existing products and divide electronics manufacturing costs by a factor of up to a ten. The world is changing and CEMs (contract electronics manufacturers) and electronics design consultancies must move with said times. Before moving on to ‘how’, a reminder of the key takeaways is warranted:
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It is all about partnerships and training. The EM has partnerships with the leading UK university (Southampton) on ASIC development, and it also partners with one of the very few CEMs that provide the necessary processes needed to develop ASICs (Custom Interconnect Ltd). Die bonding and packaging are the extra processes needed.
It isn’t just manufacturing that must evolve: so must design. The EM uses the latest software (Synopsis) to design ASIC chips from scratch.
There is no need to develop prototype PCBAs as a forerunner at all – straight to ASIC.
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