During the CogX Festival held in the UK, Dr. James Yang, representing Taiwan’s Arculus System Co., Ltd. , shared his views on Taiwan-UK industry relations, especially in the semiconductor field, in an interview with “The Icons” Aiken’s International Celebrity Magazine. He provided a profound and unique analysis of the UK market, suggesting that the potential of the UK in the semiconductor sector has not been fully exploited and that Taiwan has the capability and should play a key role.
Beyond ARM: Comprehensive Development Opportunities in the UK’s Semiconductor Industry Chain
“When it comes to the association between the UK and the semiconductor industry, the first thing that comes to mind is the success story of ARM. Undoubtedly, ARM is indeed a shining jewel, but it is only a part of the entire industry chain,” Dr. James Yang pointed out. Many people’s understanding of IP might remain superficial. “IP (Intellectual Property) business is extremely important, yet it does not involve the physical operation of hardware and electrical signals. IP is like a programming language; you can use it to write a program to run a certain function. But this does not mean you know how to design a computer.”
Dr. James Yang believes that the UK needs to establish its own semiconductor industry ecosystem, rather than just relying on IP. “This requires comprehensive development from IC design to foundry services, and then to final manufacturing. The UK currently lacks large and well-known companies in the semiconductor design field. Of course, it does not have its own foundry either.”
In Dr. James Yang’s view, this is an opportunity for Taiwanese companies to enter the market and provide a one-stop service from IC design to final production.
Green Innovation: ESG and Energy-Saving Transformation in the Semiconductor Industry
Dr. James Yang further explained the topics of ESG and SCGS, stating, “ESG is a critical standard for measuring a company’s performance in sustainable development. SCGS, on the other hand, is the practical application of implementing ESG standards in supply chain management.” He indicated that their company has integrated such philosophies into the development of EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools.
In further discussion on energy-saving issues, Dr. Yang particularly emphasized that while pursuing technological innovation, the semiconductor industry must consider energy saving as a crucial metric. This applies not only to product design and manufacturing processes but also extends to the entire product lifecycle. Taiwan’s pivotal role in the global semiconductor supply chain endows it with a unique responsibility to promote energy-saving technologies. Dr. Yang advocates for the use of innovative EDA to foresee and swiftly address future issues from the early stages of product design, thereby driving the entire industry towards a greener and more sustainable direction.
“Our company ( Arculus System Co., Ltd. )’s Green EDA tool is developed with this in mind. EDA tools are the core of IC design, determining design efficiency and the energy consumption of the final product. The design mindset of tools from the IDM (Integrated Device Manufacturer) era does not fit the current FABLESS (semiconductor companies without fabrication plants) model. Modern EDA tools should help clients foresee and solve potential energy consumption issues during the design phase.”
Dr. James Yang provided a customer case to illustrate how using their EDA tool not only improved performance from 1.3G to 3.5G but also significantly reduced R&D time. A task that once required a team of 7-8 people around 4-5 weeks to locate a problem, now can be solved by one person in a few hours, greatly saving the energy consumption that would have been used by several computers operating for a long time.
Therefore, Arculus System Co., Ltd. ‘s Green EDA tool not only helps clients quickly locate issues but also contributes to the global environmental protection effort. Dr. Yang pointed out that many people think the semiconductor industry’s impact on global carbon emissions mainly comes from factory operations, but in reality, design services and EDA companies can also play an important role upstream. The company is committed to encouraging operators in the semiconductor industry to use their “Green EDA” tools, thereby contributing to global carbon emission efforts. Dr. Yang often tells partners that using their Green EDA tools is equivalent to contributing to the global ESG effort.
Dr. James Yang‘s insights offer a new perspective, not only on how the UK can enhance its competitiveness in the global semiconductor market but also on how to integrate the concept of sustainable development from an energy-saving perspective into every aspect of semiconductor industry development, starting from the upstream EDA. (Photography: Arculus System Co., Ltd.)
James Yang: The UK Can Forge Global Competitiveness in Semiconductors from an Energy-Saving Perspective
Overall, Dr. James Yang’s insights offer a new perspective, not only on how the UK can enhance its competitiveness in the global semiconductor market but also on how to integrate the concept of sustainable development from an energy-saving perspective into every link of semiconductor industry development, starting from the upstream EDA. This is not just a technological innovation but a profound transformation of industry structure and business models.
Dr. James Yang, interviewed by “The Icons” Aiken’s International Celebrity Magazine, is the Chairman of Arculus System Co., Ltd. , an alumnus of Tsinghua University, and the University of Southern California, and has received a full scholarship to earn his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from New York University, specializing in network routers and security chip research. He has served as a research and development director at top chip design companies in Silicon Valley and the Hsinchu Science Park, holding numerous patents and R&D achievements. Successfully leading Arculus System Co., Ltd. to develop innovative EDA software, such as the Architecture Compiler and Performance Analyzer, provides efficient solutions for global semiconductor design, with revenue and business continuously expanding. Among the world’s top ten semiconductor companies, four are clients of the company.
Arculus System Co., Ltd. is the parent company of Arculus System Co., Ltd. (MicroIP Co., Ltd.).
Recommend for you:
