物聯網時代下台灣嵌入式處理器公司競爭策略之

Abstract

過去數十年，資通科技帶給了人類生活二次的大革新。第一次 是電腦(CPU、memory 等)的出現，帶來產品的生產和管理的變革。 第二次則是網際網路的出現，帶來產品交易模式的變革，但皆未 造成產品本身太大的影響。近年來物聯網所帶來第三次的革新， 透過過往各種資通技術和產品功能有系統性的堆疊和連結，使產 品自身發生智慧化的質變和具備聯網功能，並產生龐大的數據， 可以預見將有各式各樣的創新服務、產品和商業模式出現，為全 球創造出有史以來最大的商機。 面對上述的龐大商機，若進一步限縮從半導體領域去分析，我 們就一定要討論透過運算、傳輸與感測元件等所組成的嵌入式系 統。它是數以萬計智慧型裝置背後的基礎和推手。而構成嵌入式 系統最重要的核心矽智財就是32 位元嵌入式微處理器，該產業的 領導廠商ARM 因於2006 年底被SoftBank 併購而備受矚目。 個案公司和 ARM 同樣選擇耕耘32 位元嵌入式微處理器，係亞 洲第一家32 位元嵌入式處理器授權公司，於2017 年3 月14 日在台 正式掛牌上市。本文透過個案研究法並依據公開的次級資料來探 討個案公司之所以能夠成功上市的歷史沿革，並藉由對嵌入式處 理器產業的六力分析和個案公司SWOT 分析，以物聯網的浪潮和 中國半導體產業的崛起為背景，期能就其未來發展方向和策略提 出建議。本文最後歸納出三項建議:1.矽智財產品市場走向整合與 平台化的趨勢已然展開，因此應建構應用式IP 平台；2.應有明確 的CPU 技術發展藍圖；3.應發展合宜的權利金稽核模式。

There are two major changes of our lives brought about by information and communication technologies (“ICTs”) in the past decades. First, the invention of computers has led to the reform of production and management. Second, the invention of the internet has significantly changed the way people conduct business. However, the foregoing changes hardly change the nature of products. The Internet of Things (“IoT”) has brought another dramatic change in recent years by using existed ICTs and integrating different functions of products systematically. IoT has brought the expanded capabilities of smart, connected products and the prodigious amount of new (and sensitive) data they generate. We can foresee there will be new products, services and business models in emerging markets of IoT. The business opportunities will be huger than ever before. From perspectives of the semiconductor industry, IoT stems from three critical components: embedded computing system, communication devices and sensors. The most important silicon IP for IoT is 32 bit CPU IP. As the biggest 32 bit CPU IP provider in the world, ARM Holdings has been acquired by SoftBank at the end of 2006. In the same industry as ARM, A company is the first company which offers license of its 32 bit CPU IP in Asia and went public successfully on March 14 in Taiwan. This thesis takes a case study of A company’s past path toward IPO based on information generally available in the public domain. Facing the challenges and opportunities brought by IoT and the rapidly rising of China’s semiconductor industry, the goal of this research is to provide suggestions to A company on how to go forward with a right strategy through six forces analysis of the 32 bit CPU IP industry and SWOT analysis of A company. Three suggestions have been made for A company: 1. To build IP platform for certain chosen application because the future of SIP is there. 2. To plan specific technology roadmap that matches short-term and long-term goals. 3. To develop an efficient royalty audit mechanism.