Study: Indian Design Takes Off

BANGALORE, India — Design starts in India are growing in both number and complexity, according to a study by the India Semiconductor Association (ISA).The ISA projects a rise in design starts in India from 280 last year to 873 in 2010 and to 2,173 in 2015—a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent—as OEMs implement multiple designs for domestic and export markets.

Other factors include the outsourcing of hardware and board designs to noncaptive companies, and reference designs handled by noncaptive companies for full VLSI designs done in India.

As India's capability for designing complex boards grows, designs will include more than 20 layers. More wireless components are expected to increase signal frequency on boards, the study said.

In 2005, boards operating at below 250 MHz comprised 65 percent of all designs. However, boards rated 250 MHz and higher will comprise 85 percent of design starts in 2015, ISA said.

RF design, 5 percent of the design starts in 2005, will grow to 55 percent in 2010. Analog and digital designs, 65 percent of design starts in 2005, will decrease to 45 percent in 2010. The industry's shift to RF designs will be restricted by challenges in developing test capabilities for such systems, according to the study.