Atmel harnesses cash, skill to battle big chip makers; tiny start-up caters to the portable market and avoids red ink

Article Abstract:

Atmel Corp, a small chip-maker in San Jose, CA, has posted a profit every year since it began operation in 1985. Atmel concentrates on making flash memory chips for portable equipment. George Perlegos, Atmel's founder and chief executive officer, defied conventional wisdom by leasing excess production capacity from other chip makers, rather than building his own. The company eventually purchased a production plant in Houston for $15 million in 1989. Atmel also took an unusual route to raising money by customizing chips, rather than going to venture capitalists or banks. Atmel has focused on improving its products, and now makes the only 3-volt flash memory chip on the market. The company has been increasing its share of the flash-memory market, and now trails Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc with 5 percent of the market. Atmel generated 1992 revenue of $140 million, up from $17 million in 1987.

Management, Atmel Corp., Flash memory, Company Profile, ROM (Read only memory), Read-only memory

---

Southeast tries to attract chip makers; despite risks, states fund research, offer incentives

Article Abstract:

Southeastern states are offering incentives in hopes of hosting semiconductor industry plants. Florida, Alabama and North Carolina either are rewriting or have recently overhauled state incentive laws. Virginia, Georgia and Delaware have invested tens of millions of dollars into state universities' research facilities. The states are taking significant risks, because certain chip production overcapacity and uncertain Asian markets are challenging the industry. What makes the risk worthwhile, according to economic-development officials, is a potentially enormous payoff. Average $1 billion to $2 billion plants produce approximately 2,000 jobs with annual pay ranging between $30,000 and $50,000. Virginia has drawn regional attention by landing three semiconductor plants since 1995. About 35 US semiconductor plants will be built by 2002, according to a recent Semiconductor Industry Association prediction.

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing, Microprocessor Chips, CPUs (Central processing units), Forecasts and trends, Design and construction, Market trend/market analysis

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Estimating loyalty and switching with an application to the automobile market
• Abstracts: Leadership styles in state-owned enterprises. On the performance of Chinese state-owned and private enterprises: the view from foreign-invested enterprises
• Abstracts: Seeking the institutional balance of power: avoiding the power of a balanced view. A psychoanalytic reading of hostile takeover events
• Abstracts: Perceptual position and competitive brand strategy in a two-dimensional, two-brand market. Competitive maps: the structure underlying asymmetric cross elasticities
• Abstracts: Coping with change at Martin Industries. Europe 1992: the single market

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.