'We want to be the next Texas Instruments'

Marvell has been relatively low-key until recently when the Intel deal

came about. Can you elaborate on the technologies and products you provide?



It was only when we bought Intel's communications and application

processor unit did people sit up and take notice of us. But the fact is that we

have been in the semi conductor business for the last 11 years. We are among the

top five fabless semiconductor companies. We are the largest player in the

market in the area of to consumer-class Wi-Fi products which are used in cell

phones, cameras, gaming consoles, PSPs and stereo systems; Gigabit Ethernet and

storage. We are also in the HD-DVD and HDTV space.

How does the Intel deal gel with Marvell's strategy?



We have a small R&D team that looks at cell phone chips. With the Intel

deal, we have a much bigger presence in this area since we have access to

Intel's XScale processor technology. We have had a good working relationship

with Intel for the last six years. Intel's application processors go into

high-end phones like BlackBerry, Motorola Q phones and 3G phones in Asia. The

manufacture of these chips will continue at Intel's fab in the transition

period (two years). In the long run, we will second source the manufacture of

these chips.

What is your future plan?



We want to be the next TI. Compared to TI, which has a lot of legacy

technologies, we are into new technologies and new classes of products. Areas

like digital signal processing (DSP) and System-on-Chip (SoC) are our strengths

and we will use these to address other markets. Since we have new technologies,

our architecture is more scalable and applicable for new generation products.

Can you elaborate on your India operations?



We have two design centers in Gurgaon, which became part of Marvell as a

result of our acquisition of the Avago printer group this year. The Bangalore

office was set up in 2002, when it was part of National Semiconductor. We took

over this division in May 2005. The team, which has 35 engineers, works on video

processing for high-definition technology. We have the capacity to expand to 120

seats.

Priya Padmanabhan



maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in