A Study on the Collaboration between Foundry and IC Design House from Open Innovation Platform: A Case Study of TSMC

台積電(TSMC)自1987年成立後，時至2015年底其年營業額已來到488億美元，並囊括全球近55%的市佔率，其中先進製程超過70％的市佔率。且年成長率超過6%，堪稱為全球晶圓代工產業界最具競爭力的業者。由於獲利佳，近年來已引起全球半導體前兩大IDM公司Intel及三星積極加碼投入，台積電如何持續保持既有的競爭優勢已是眼前最重要的課題。 本研究係以晶圓代工產業的內/外部製環境分析為主體，並以台積電為主要探討對象，探討台積電在晶圓代工產業下其競爭模型和價值鏈活動行為，得知其持續獲取經濟利潤的原因後，再據此與其現行實施的競爭策略，即通過成本領先、客戶願意支付溢價的差異化、清楚市場定位的集中策略及創新策略等定義其競爭力。透過與既有競爭對手的優劣勢比較，找出其競爭強勢指標及競爭優勢地位後，篩選出台積電的關鍵成功因素(先進的製程領先、整合性技術服務及充足的產能)，並闡述此三大因素的優勢成因所在，藉此做為後續我國晶圓代工產業保持競爭領先策略的參考與研究。 尤其自2015年後，全球經濟停滯及3C產業達到飽和狀態，台積電仍逆勢操作並積極跨入10及7奈米製程，並提升了28與16奈米製程量產的效能，持續投入資本支出並佈局最先進製程，並加強成熟製程及對新興物聯網裝置製程技術需求。尤其是半導體製程在近兩年全球的人工智慧、高速運算、虛擬及擴充實境、汽車電子、穿戴裝置、物聯網及大數據高需求的帶動趨勢下，未來即將是積體電路(Integrated Circuit，IC)設計公司蓬勃發展的大好時機。因此，在大環境驅使下，晶圓代工廠如何擴大價值，建立設計平台支援IC設計公司使其產品能儘早量產，並讓其產品在利潤最佳的時機及價格以最適合的規格上市，使客戶保持高市場佔有率成為一重要議題。本研究也探討晶圓代工廠針對先進製程技術如何配合發展出具備跨代工廠提供給設計廠商的製程設計套件，該套件完全經過先進製程驗證，象徵著晶圓代工廠落實開放創新平台(Open Innovation Platform，OIP) [1]，並強化了其在客製化、類比、混合訊號與射頻(Radio Frequency，RF)設計方面的創新，跨越了多個基於IC設計工具業界Open Access的電子設計自動化(Electronic Design Automation，EDA)設計環境，不再需要多個專有射頻晶圓專工設計套件(Package Design Kits，PDK)，在不同的客製IC設計工具組間，也能全面再使用所有的設計資料，讓原有已驗證設計資料(IP)可以用在下一個產品裡，縮短新產品的開發及研發人力。 本研究目的為(1)檢視晶圓代工系統之IP服務和商業模式；(2)了解晶圓代工廠提供價值平台與IC設計公司的生態 (3)探索個案晶圓代工公司提供IC設計公司之合作模式，並以個案研究法針對晶圓代工提供設計服務的方法進行研究，採用深度訪談法對臺灣企業高階主管以半結構性訪談方式進行調查，以利研究資料的蒐集。本研究以IC設計服務和IC設計EDA軟體商及晶圓製造供應商三個構面進行觀察，並對個案公司未來可能之發展方向。從研究結果得知，IC設計公司需要的晶圓廠提供技術資源，其組成包含：(a)IP模組系統；(b)設計軟體工具系統；(c)設計測試及製造驗證及最佳化系統。研究結果發現，個案公司除應強調製程技術及服務並重的商業模式之外，特別需要提供完整的IC設計平台，因為先進製程的複雜程度已經超出以往傳統的設計方法，如果能(1)保持高設計門檻但不與客戶競爭並超越其他晶圓代工廠並協助客戶加大其他優勢例如：(2)製造品質與設計模組化快速整合能力；(3)上下游資源的整合和資訊管理；(3)規避風險及可信賴的設計系統；(4) 協助設定高性價比及客製化產品策略 (5) 客戶集中資源在系統創新及價值的價值服務。因此，個案公司的策略除了保持技術領先及擴充最大產能及運籌服務外，更需要強化核心設計技術服務競爭力協助客戶，而其關鍵包括(a)與IC設計及IC設計工具軟體公司產品結合；(b)技術研發roadmap與其他設備廠商結盟 (c)創新設計與製造技術結合的平台透明化(d)與價值鏈供應商策略聯盟資本化。Local Foundry TSMC in Taiwan is developing the deep sub-micro 7nm/10nm in year 2015 and has achieved the 16/28nm FINFET volume production with high speed, low power and cost effective to customers and become the largest revenue of worldwide wafer foundry. The overall Taiwan semiconductor foundries contribute total revenue over 50B USD. Despite the progress that has been achieved, most major foundries (TSMC, Intel, Samsung etc.) keep invest enormous capital expense (CAPEX) continuously on leading edge technology include mature (or specialty process) and new emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology for booming business and new era of big data. Moreover, the leading technology for ultra-low power and sensors and System in Package (SiP) assembly need been integrated vertically with upstream equipment, material manufacturer and EDA tool vendor on supply chain through IP Alliance to serve the new opportunity by new advance process technologies and IC design open innovation ecosystem to speed up the design and shorten the product time to market. TSMC drives the open innovation platform in order to inject new process technology requirements into design ecosystem so the TSMC customers can design into TSMC technology early and have smoother and faster production. As the technology moving to most advance technology, the design requirements, challenges and complexity have been increasing dramatically. It’s difficult for customer to find out , validate and integrate by themselves. TMSC provide the platform to enable design ecosystem to find out solution. To validate their solutions, and to provide customers one-stop shopping solution. Such design platform deliverables includes design collaterals of qualified EDA tools and corresponding tech files , process design kits. DFM (design for manufacturing) data kits, reference flows, foundation IPs of standard cells, I/Os, memory compilers, foundation and specialty IPs. All customers use commercial EDA tools to design in TSMC process technology, and the majority and increasing number of customers use commercial IPs in their designs. That validated the importance of timely completion of design infrastructure through the collaboration with design ecosystem partners. The key to the success of design ecosystem partnership is enablement collaboration. Base on TSMC in-house design knowhow and expertise, the ecosystem act as the focal point for ecosystem partners to interface with TSMC process technology, bridges the gap between new technology and design requirements and ecosystem’s existing capabilities, identifies enhancements needs, provides partners with EDA ( electronic design automation) and IP enablement kits for customer to effectively implement the needed changes timely. As a result, TSMC and partners jointly create synergy combining innovation and strengths of the whole design ecosystem to collectively deliver complete solutions for customers to use. Recently TSMC announce 7nm process has entered try run phase and 16nm volume production number of tape outs has emerging much faster comparing to 28nm(HKMG) at the same time. Through Design ecosystem collaboration with partners and participated the upcoming design challenges associated with 7nm technology. On the EDA sides, the efforts include enhancement in various EDA tools, creation of tech files/PDKs associated with those tools, and design methodology innovation for customers to design in 7nm. On another IP sides, early availability of critical IPs with competitive PPA (power, performance and area) is the key to enable customer design work. Moreover, the interoperable design package for different design environments migration are essential to meet design accuracy also reduce the design cycle time and transaction cost and IP reusability. Building the ecosystem and partnership with trust remains one of the greatest problems within the open innovation platform by game theory, risk management and transfer cost to enhance the strength to resolve customer competition. The strategy of technology roadmap and design collaboration become challengeable and essential to practical methods of projects and partnership for all stakeholders with a relatively high rate of effectiveness. This study aims to build the entry barrier to keep leading position and to examine (1) qualified IP and design methodology to speed up the industrial development and product platform (2) the evolution of resource and information integration; (3) Eliminate potential risks and trust the proven design system to engage customers (4) resource planning by innovation and value service of design support. Case study methodology was conducted for this interview survey with CEO of semiconductor technology incorporation in Taiwan. Partnership, EDA flow and design environment and technology were observed as three principals in this investigation. Results reveal that the strengths of Open innovation platform action are (1) integrated modularized manufacturing ability; (2) Align core competence with customer; (3) setup value chain and alliance to build robust platform; (4) cost-effective customized products and design support. The findings were summarized as the following statements, the business strategy encompasses three dimensions: Interoperable design platform, core technology competence strengthening, and partnership and complementary establishment. The entire advanced open innovation system can be conveyed to emerging markets successfully. Driving process-design co-optimization to assure TSMC’s leadership in technology, and reducing design barriers for customer to adopt TSMC technology, design ecosystem is the platform for TSMC to actively engage the design ecosystem. This leverage TSMC superior ROI through design collaboration model, and has been proven to enable customers to achieve silicon success by synergizing the innovations TSMC & partner