GSA MILESTONES

GSA hosts the first IP Conference. The two-day event will focus on strategizing for a healthy IP ecosystem and will feature 50 speakers.

GSA releases the Analog Mixed-Signal/RF Process Checklist, a document that identifies the different elements of a foundry’s AMS/RF process and its ability to fulfill a semiconductor company’s needs.

GSA hosts the first Israel Executive Forum centered on views, challenges and solutions to the most pressing business and technical issues facing semiconductor companies.

GSA and ITAC host the 2nd annual GSA & ITAC Conference, featuring tours of the IBM Advanced Packaging Facility and the DALSA MEMS Foundry.

GSA announces the renaming and expansion of its European Leadership Council to the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Leadership Council.

FSA, the voice of the global fabless business model, announced it will transition to become the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $53.3 billion in 2007, an 8% YoY growth. Worldwide semiconductor sales total $267.5 billion.

132 fabless companies received $1.8 billion in private equity in 2007.

FSA publishes Understanding Fabless IC Technology, a book on the history and fundamentals of the fabless business model.

FSA hosts System-in-Package Conference to focus on navigating SiP in a complex environment.

FSA and Industry Directions Release Study on Building A Better Supply Chain.

FSA collaborates with ITAC for first ITAC and FSA Conference in Canada.

FSA introduces IPecosystem Tool Suite, Version 2.0.

FSA and EDAC host Productivity Impact Luncheon at DAC focused on Changing the Dialogue Between Engineers and Management.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $49.6 billion, a 27% YoY growth.

FSA announces inaugural IC Design Suppliers Pavilion at SEMICON China.

Inaugural Global Leadership Summit hosted in Shanghai.

Expansion of IET/FSA collaboration with announcement of three-year agreement for 2007-2009.

CBSIA, FSA, HKSTP and CASPA sign Memo of Understanding for development of Greater China SIP Trading Center.

FSA introduces Mixed-Signal/RF PDK Checklist version 2.0.

FSA rings closing bell at NASDAQ.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $39.0 billion, a 17% YoY growth.

FSA names new Chairman, Sanjay Jha, Executive Vice President QUALCOMM and President, QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies.

Expansion of second annual IEE/FSA International Semiconductor Executive Forum with launch of inaugural FSA Suppliers Expo EUROPE.

FSA's Mixed-Signal/RF SPICE Model Checklist released.

Formation of the European Leadership Council.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $33.4 billion, a 49% YoY growth.

FSA has more than 450 members.

FSA celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The Global Fabless Financials Report is introduced by FSA, tracking revenue, net income and other financial information for all public fabless companies worldwide.

In response to IP quality issues viewed as a challenge in the industry, FSA begins to develop the Hard IP Quality Risk Assessment Tool. The FSA IP Subcommittee drives this initiative.

FSA’s MS/RF Subcommittee’s PDK Working Group released its MS/RF PDK Checklist, which provides guidelines to showcase PDK quality. The Checklist describes simulation models, technology files, design rule files and parameterized cell generators used to design today’s complex mixed-signal and RF ICs.

FSA holds its first International Collaboration Series in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.

FSA holds its first Suppliers Expo in Taiwan.

FSA introduces its Foundry, EDA, Test and IP Suppliers Forums to offer fabless companies an opportunity to view presentations and offerings from top industry vendors in a one-day session.

FSA forms an Asia-Pacific Technology Committee to help address pressing issues facing the Asia-Pacific semiconductor community.

FSA forms the SiP Subcommittee through its Asia-Pacific office to identify SiP technology issues, challenges and main applications. It also seeks to identify vertical partners and projects to work together on and to extend this effort to global members’ awareness and participation.

The Standard I/O Subcommittee is formed through the FSA Asia-Pacific office as a joint project of fabless members who are contributing their experienced engineers and their own internal general-purpose I/O cells. By forming a working task force with IP, FSA's mission is that this effort will create useful "general-purpose" or "standard" I/O cells, which can be made available to all fabless members with good portability at various foundries.

FSA adds assembly and test pricing to its quarterly Wafer Pricing Survey. The Assembly & Test Pricing Survey is designed to gauge the average prices paid per back-end service for fabless companies and IDMs.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $22.3 billion, a 53% YoY growth.

FSA surpasses 400 members.

FSA expands globally, appointing Dr. Jeremy Wang as its Asia-Pacific Executive Director, forming an Asia-Pacific Leadership Council, and opening its first international offices in Hsinchu and Taipei, Taiwan.

FSA hosts its first Asia-Pacific event, The Fabless Business Globalization Forum in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.

FSA holds its first IP Workshop in conjunction with its annual Suppliers Expo.

FSA releases its Supply Chain Study. This study was commissioned by FSA and conducted by Lions Peak LLC and Santa Clara University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The study conducted research into the dynamics of the electronics industry supply chain.

FSA awards Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of QUALCOMM Incorporated the Dr. Morris Chang Award for Exemplary Leadership at its annual Awards Dinner.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $14.6 billion, a 10% YoY growth.

FSA surpasses 300 members.

FSA holds its first East Coast keynote and panel discussion in Boston.

FSA and JEDEC announce the release of a Foundry Process Qualification Guideline. The FSA Foundry Process Qualification Subcommittee and the JEDEC JC-14.2 Wafer Level Reliability Committee's Foundry Process Qualification Guideline describes a minimum set of requirements to qualify a new semiconductor wafer process.

FSA released the findings of a corporate governance study, Establishing an Effective Board of Directors, commissioned by FSA and conducted by Heidrick and Struggles International, one of the world's largest executive search firms. This research explores the characteristics of successful boards of directors in fabless semiconductor companies (80%) and IDMs (20%).

FSA introduces its first quarterly Fabless Fundings Report, which tracks venture capital investments in fabless companies.

FSA forms a MS/RF Subcommittee to accelerate the formation of an advanced mixed-signal/RF supply chain and ecosystem for fabless and fab-lite companies.

FSA forms an IP Subcommittee to address the many challenges in the quality, portability, reuse, verification, integration and standardization of IP in the semiconductor industry.

FSA forms an Education Subcommittee to address education needs in the semiconductor industry.

FSA re-launches its Web site with enhanced features and sections including Careers in Semiconductors, Venture Capital Section, Online Member Orientation and enhanced sorting options for its online directories.

FSA adds IDMs to its Fabless Directory, and renames the annual publication the Outsourcing Directory.

FSA awards Bernie Vonderschmidt, Co-Founder and Chairman of Xilinx, the Dr. Morris Chang Award for Exemplary Leadership at its annual Awards Dinner.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $13.3 billion, a -22% YoY decline.

FSA surpasses 200 members.

FSA and Merrill Lynch announce a partnership that provides the reintroduction of the FSA/Merrill Lynch Fabless Stock Index [FABLS].

FSA introduces the industry’s first quarterly Wafer Pricing Survey and Report, designed to gauge the average prices paid per wafer for fabless semiconductor companies, as well as IDMs.

FSA forms a CEO Leadership Council to provide FSA with strategic leadership and direction to move the FSA to its next level of success.

FSA establishes a VC Advisory Board to bring together industry expertise from the VC arena in an advisory capacity to help educate and provide data on unique attributes in funding successful fabless companies.

FSA expands its quarterly luncheon series from San Jose, California; and holds its first events in Southern California and Austin, Texas.

The FSA Store is added to the FSA Web site, allowing industry to view and purchase the list of resources FSA has available online.

NVIDIA is the fastest fabless company to achieve $1 billion in revenues – in 32 quarters.

Worldwide fabless revenue totals $17.0 billion, a 67% YoY growth.

FSA awards Dr. Bob Pepper, former CEO of Level One (acquired by Intel in 1999), the Dr. Morris Chang Award for Exemplary Leadership at its annual Awards Dinner.

FSA introduces its first annual MIS Survey and Report, compiled from the responses of fabless semiconductor companies highlighting the MIS systems used.

The fabless industry outperforms the worldwide semiconductor industry, growing 68%, compared to 39% for the worldwide industry.

FSA adds three manufacturing seats to its Board of Directors.

FSA establishes a new award at its annual Awards Dinner. The Exemplary Leadership award was designed to recognize an individual's outstanding contributions to the fabless semiconductor sector. The first Exemplary Leadership award was presented to Dr. Morris Chang, Chairman and Founder, TSMC. As a tribute to Dr. Chang and his success, FSA renamed the award and now presents it as the "Dr. Morris Chang Award for Exemplary Leadership."

FSA and NationsBanc Montgomery Securities (NMS) jointly launch the NMS/FSA Fabless Stock Index (FABLS Stock Index).

FSA holds its first series of BMS Software Forums, enabling fabless companies to get filtered information on various products on the market so that their needs are specifically addressed.

FSA surpasses 100 members.

FSA introduces its first annual Foundry Resource Guide to provide the latest compilation of information on foundry service providers.

FSA introduces its first annual Supplier and Fabless Directories containing comprehensive profiles of supplier and fabless semiconductor companies.

FSA forms a Standard Foundry Process Qualification (SFPQ) Subcommittee to drive the wide dissemination and acceptance of a uniform methodology for CMOS process qualification.

FSA forms the Business Management Systems (BMS) Subcommittee to raise awareness of how management systems can increase the effectiveness of fabless companies.

FSA forms a Forecasting Subcommittee to communicate the wafer needs of the fabless community to key suppliers, including foundry partners.

FSA holds its first quarterly luncheon series in conjunction with its Wafer and Packaging Demand Forecast in San Jose, California. The topic is “Exploding Growth Opportunities.”

FSA announces its first Wafer and Packaging Demand Survey and Forecast to help the semiconductor industry effectively gauge the wafer and packaging technology requirements of the fabless semiconductor sector.

FSA holds its first Suppliers Expo, dedicated to bringing suppliers, fabless, IDMs and other supply chain companies together to facilitate better business integration.

FSA holds its first annual Awards Dinner celebration to recognize fabless companies for their outstanding achievements in the industry.

FSA forms a Modeling Subcommittee to improve the quality of circuit models used by FSA member companies.

FSA launches a Web site to offer more enhanced member services.