FablessChipherstellern

FablessChipherstellern, also known as fabless chip manufacturers, are semiconductor companies that design and market integrated circuits while outsourcing fabrication to dedicated wafer foundries. The term “fabless” indicates that these firms do not own or operate their own fabrication facilities, focusing instead on design, verification, IP licensing, and customer relations.

In this business model, the core activities are design and product strategy, with manufacturing provided by third-party foundries such as TSMC, Samsung Foundry, GlobalFoundries, and others. Fabless firms depend on external manufacturing capacity, process nodes, and EDA toolchains to bring products to market. This arrangement allows rapid innovation and lower capital expenditure compared with traditional integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) that own fabs.

The fabless model gained prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s as fabrication costs rose and specialized foundries expanded. It enabled startups and established design teams to compete in advanced technologies by leveraging external manufacturing expertise and scale. The ecosystem typically includes IP licensors, design tool providers, and contract manufacturers, forming a global supply chain for complex systems-on-chip (SoCs) and integrated circuits.

Prominent examples of fabless companies include Nvidia, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and MediaTek. Apple and other device makers also design chips but rely on foundries for fabrication, highlighting the ecosystem’s reliance on external manufacturing. The model offers flexibility and capital efficiency but introduces dependencies on foundry capacity, wafer supply, and supply-chain dynamics. Success hinges on fast design cycles, strong IP, collaboration with foundries, and access to leading-process nodes.