炬力计划拆分退市，安卓和嵌入式业务各自为政

EE Times美国版获悉，中国无晶圆厂（Fabless）芯片公司珠海炬力半导体，正计划一分为二，并从纳斯达克（Nasdaq）退市。 此举说明了这家中国Fabless公司已进入一个新阶段，也体现了它成长中的烦恼（包括内部不同事业部门之间的冲突）和管理层意图通过将公司分拆成两个国内私有的实体，来获得政府补助的野心。 从“一个日程安排的冲突”时间可以看出一些端倪。炬力在7月31日发表新闻稿称它将延迟通报第二季度（至6月30日）的财务业务至本周五（8月15日）。然而，据EE Times美国版的调查显示，延迟是因为需要进行重大业务重组，公司要与员工就新公司中的股份分配问题进行谈判。截至记者发稿时，炬力还没有回复此问题。 消息称炬力将按照产品线来拆分公司。其中一家会聚焦在多媒体，例如MP3和MP4播放器、蓝牙和WiFi boom-box，另一家则着重媒体平板和机顶盒电视盒。 内部的冲突 自炬力CEO周正宇2011年上任，他将公司的业务焦点转至安卓系统的平板市场。同时，炬力的多媒体事业部依然在传统的消费市场例如MP3和MP4播放器上实力强劲。因此，此次分拆大概会依照软件平台来划分：安卓和嵌入式。 然而像其它在中国的公司一样，炬力也在力求占领“非苹”消费电子市场，因此也陷入进退两难境界。 炬力无意在传统的MP3和MP4播放器市场做过多坚持，但多媒体业务--尽管已经没有什么增长的前景--却依然非常赚钱。另一方面，安卓平板市场，它代表着公司的未来，能够带来更高的增长。但后者现在还是烧钱阶段，并且这个市场充满了其他强大IC设计公司竞争者，比如全志（Allwinner,由炬力的前高层创立）、瑞星微电子（Rockchip）和台湾的联发科技（MTK）。 据报道，炬力这两个事业部的员工经常会因为涨薪或业务议程的事产生冲突。 来自中国的业内消息称，炬力期待通过分成两家公司，让这两家都“聚焦在自己的业务和管理上。这（新的股份）也将激励到两个新的管理团队。” 炬力的平板/OTT/STB 事业部都渴望能够接手新的项目，包括可穿戴设备、智能家居和Chromebook。可穿戴和智能家居都会采用Andorid Wear OS，而Chromebook将可能Chrome OS，二者都由谷歌提供。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：追求中国政府的扶持资金 {pagination} 炬力最近取得了ARM Cortex-A50处理器家庭的授权，目标指向64位平板市场。在6月授权的声明中，炬力称它的第一颗SoC“将于2014年底发布，成为国内领先IC设计公司最先发布ARM 64位平板处理器的公司之一。” 消息还指出炬力的平板和电视盒事业部与谷歌的沟通很密切，期待它的64位ARM SoC能够不止用于谷歌平板，还能将它优化更好地支持Chrome。 追求中国的资金 中央和地方政府不断放出消息，会投巨大的资金来支持业内的芯片产业。中国国内的芯片公司高管们都渴望能够获得这些资金。 据不同渠道的消息，业界普遍认为这次政府不会规定IC产业的上下游该获得多少投资，而是会“成立一个基金”，让专业的投资者来决定在中国企业中，包括IC设计公司，晶圆制造企业，或是一些研究机构中投哪些，投多少。然而，这些资金的监管者不是政府，而是投资人，他们会作一个具体的预期，并看重投资的真实回报。 中国公司在美国交易市场上不被看好已经有一段时间了，炬力相信是期待有新鲜投资进入的众多中国IC设计公司中的一家。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Actions to Split in Two, Break Up With Nasdaq,by Junko Yoshida {pagination} Actions to Split in Two, Break Up With Nasdaq Junko Yoshida MADISON, Wis. — EE Times has learned that Actions Semiconductor Co. Ltd., a Zhuhai, China-based fabless chip company, is planning to split in two and delist itself from Nasdaq. The move illustrates a new phase for the Chinese fabless company, reflecting its growing pains (including internal conflicts among different business units) and management ambitions to qualify for government grants by morphing into two private, domestic entities. Citing “a scheduling conflict,” Actions issued a press release on July 31 that it would delay its Q2 financial results (ended June 30) until Friday, Aug. 15. EE Times’s investigations, however, reveal that the delay was necessitated by major business reorganizations, requiring negotiations with employees about their stake in the new companies. Actions Semiconductor had not returned a call by press time. Actions is said to be dividing the company along product lines. One unit will focus on multimedia -- such as MP3 and MP4 players and Bluetooth and WiFi boom-boxes -- the other on media tablets and over-the-top set-top boxes. Internal conflicts Since Zhenyu Zhou became the CEO at Actions in 2011, he brought much-needed focus to the company by steering it toward the Android-based tablet market. Meanwhile, Actions’ multimedia business unit has maintained a strong foothold in the traditional consumer market such as MP3 and MP4 players. The split, therefore, conforms roughly to software platforms: Android vs. embedded. Actions, in pursuit of the non-Apple market like everyone else in China, is caught between a rock and a hard place, however. Actions had no intention to get stuck in the business of traditional MP3 and MP4 players, but that multimedia business -- although it had little prospect for growth -- proved highly profitable. On the other hand, the Android tablet market represented the company’s future with higher growth. But that business was bleeding cash in a market crowded with other strong fabless chip vendors including China’s Allwinner (also based in Zhuhai, founded by former management of Actions) and Rockchip and Taiwan’s MediaTek. Actions' employees within these two business units reportedly have often clashed over pay raise and business agendas. By dividing into two entities, Actions’ hope is to allow each to “focus on its own vision and execution,” according to one industry source based in China. “It will also give incentive to the new management teams (new shares to be issued).” Actions’ tablet/over-the-top set-top box groups are reportedly keen on taking on new projects including wearables, smart home, and Chromebook. Wearables and smart home will use Android Wear OS, while Chromebook will use Chrome OS, both from Google. Actions recently licensed the ARM Cortex-A50 processor family to target the 64-bit tablet market. At the time of its licensing announcement in June, Actions said its first SoC is “due to be available in late 2014, making it one of China’s leading technology design companies delivering an ARM-based 64-bit chip for tablet devices.” Sources pointed out that Actions’ tablet/set-top group is engaged in discussions with Google, hoping to take its ARM 64-bit SoC beyond Android tablets and optimize it to better support Chrome. In pursuit of China fund Executives at chip companies in China have been jockeying to grab what appears to be a huge chunk of the money that China’s central and local governments are poised to pump into the domestic chip industry. According to several different sources in China, rather than expecting the government to dictate which IC industry sectors should get investment money, the idea that has gained consensus among locals today is to "set up a fund" and let professional investors place bets on which Chinese entities -- fabless, foundries, and/or research institutes -- deserve the funding. Moreover, they say, the overseers of such investment would not be the government, but investors, who would demand tangible results and a real return on their investments. At a time when Chinese companies trading on US exchanges reportedly have grown frustrated with the US investment community, Actions is believed to be one of the many Chinese fabless chip vendors looking for fresh investment.