The foundry market players continue to provide almost as much nail-biting suspense as a TV reality program. Drawing most of the media attention is the battle for large volume IDM and advanced technology customers. Companies such as TSMC and the members of the Common Platform are developing strategies which involve unique advanced technologies. The competition involves a fight over the biggest and strongest semiconductor manufacturers .
But that is not the only show in the foundry arena. Smaller foundry suppliers such as Tower Semiconductor are finding ways to grow faster than the overall semiconductor industry by focusing on products that don’t require the bleeding edge technologies but do require differentiated technologies specifically designed for small to medium sized manufacturers. The so-called niche players are actually targeting markets such as MEMS, RF CMOS, telematics, and portable medical that are growing faster than the overall industry.
