Semiconductors used to be a very hot area for startups, but SaaS is a much easier one because: a) There is a huge fixed cost to developing a chip b) a start-u

Semiconductors used to be a very hot area for startups, but SaaS is a much easier one because: a) There is a huge fixed cost to developing a chip b) a start-up can usually only afford to develop one innovative block. They must then obtain the right to use many off the shelf IP blocks (CPU, interface blocks, radios) to make a complete chip product. The economics of this mean that large semiconductor companies, who have a large portfolio of blocks that they don't need to pay licence fees for, are at a huge advantage c) As chip products have integrated more and more features on a single die, these factors have become more and more dominant For these reasons, for some time now aquisition by a big player has been the only realistic 'exit' available to startup founders in the semiconductor area. In theory, Zero Asic's approach could mitigate all of these, which would lead to a much more active chip startup scene.