Book excerpt: Discover How to Launch and Succeed as a Fabless Semiconductor Firm Fabless Semiconductor Implementation takes you step-by-step through the challenges faced by fabless firms in the development of integrated circuits. This expert guide examines the potential pitfalls of IC implementation in the rapidly growing fabless segment of the semiconductor industry and elaborates how to overcome these difficulties. It provides a comprehensive overview of the issues that executives and technical professionals encounter at fabless companies. Filled with over 150 on-target illustrations, this business-building tool presents a clear picture of the entire lifecycle of a fabless enterprise, describing how to envision and execute fabless IC implementation. Inside This Comprehensive Guide to Fabless IC Design - Define and specify the product Understand the customer requirements, the value chain, and the supply chain Select the right implementation approach, including “make” vs. “buy” Choose the best technologies and supply chain Implement IC design, fabrication, and manufacturing Build the operations infrastructure to meet cost and quality requirements Program-manage the distributed supply chain