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November - 2013 - issue > Top 5 Semiconductor Companies
Microchip - Redefining Conventional Embedded Control Designs
SI Team
Monday, November 4, 2013
Steve Sanghi, CEO of Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), just announced a new family of microcontrollers (MCUs)- the PIC24FJ128GC010. This analog system-on-a-chip integrates Microchip's first ever on-chip precision 16-bit ADC and 10 Msps 12-bit ADC, along with eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology for extended battery life in portable medical and industrial applications. Innovations such as these are just a routine day's job for the engineers at Microchip. The team has been providing the answers for many companies that face tremendous competitive pressures in their markets, for the better part of its 24 years in existence. Additionally, Microchip has not left the question of differentiation of end products through new features and functionality unanswered for its list of more than 80,000 customers.


Microchip prides itself on manufacturing chips that stand the test of time and future proof a customer's investment. The embedded chip giant employs an aphorism of never turning a product obsolete. "A customer could have first used one of our MCUs in 1992, and after 21 years that product is still available in large volumes. We have built a strategy where our customers can have the confidence that 10 years down the line, the same replacement product is available," says Sanghi.


The extensive confidence of its customers also stems from the organization's unique strategy for success. A strategy that revolves around Microchip's Aggregate System, which provides cohesion for the company's organizational culture, systems, policies, principles, employees, strategies and decisions. "This holistic focus improves on every area of our business and has provided Microchip its sustained performance," points out Sanghi.


Additionally, the customer is able to design with any of the company's more than 1,000 MCUs using a single, unified tool chain featuring Microchip's universal MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment. This enables designers to more easily port their code among Microchip's MCUs, to enhance design features or reduce a few components to make their end products more affordable. In short, the Microchip team has created a single development platform to make migration among its MCUs as easy as possible. Additionally, Microchip's PIC MCUs provide a common architecture, instruction set, and peripherals.


With over 8000 skilled employees and counting, the company is looking to expand further into the space of 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit microcontrollers. Moving forward, Microchip has strategically placed itself to evolve into a 3 billion dollar company. With its current revenue knocking on a 2 billion dollar run rate, along with a culture that is entirely focused on innovation and client satisfaction alike, Microchip is poised to gain extended traction into the many markets it serves for many years to come.

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