Some have questioned the ramifications of the Rim Semi/TSMC agreement. This except demonstrates TSMC's mindset when selecting a fab partner. In short, only if a company has both the management and product volume potential will it be accepted into the TSMC family.
Foundry Found
"By the end of 2000, IMC was looking for a “good relationship” with a foundry. A key element for any foundry partner was its ability to provide .13- micron technology, which was considered cutting edge when IMC’s design cycle began. The company also sought strong capabilities in packaging, a good track record for reliability and quality, and fast turnaround times for devices and production, as well as the availability of personnel and resources for support. This last requirement was crucial.
While looking for a foundry, IMC found “there are a limited number of suppliers out there who
could handle the .13-micron technology. In terms of advanced technology and stability of the process, TSMC is number-one in the world,” Hoogenboom says. TSMC also brought to the table IO cells, IP that supported the process and an attractive price. TSMC, a 15-year-old company and market leader in the foundry business, had sales of over $5 billion the year Internet Machines was founded. And the manufacturer is choosy about its partners, too. “When we engage a new customer, we look at market potential; we look at the business plan, and we look at the management team,” says TSMC’s Chuck Byers, director of worldwide brand management.
“Is the management team savvy, do they have the caliber of people to move forward?” And,
most important, “Are they a company that can grow with us?” TSMC considered the IMC team not only knowledgeable, but also capable of growing their business into a substantial TSMC customer. Given the nine million NPU chips In-Stat/MDR expects to ship in 2002, and with the market doubling to just over 18 million in 2004, it was clear to TSMC that IMC could be a bigger winner."
http://www.designchain.com/summer02/pdf/EDC0205s_Final.pdf
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