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Freescale CEO upbeat about IC industry recovery, touts smartbooks


BANGALORE, India — Freescale Semconductor's CEO declared the recession over and said the global semiconductor industry has reached the upside of its cycle entering the second half of 2009.

Freescale CEO Rich Beyer also told a company-sponsored technology forum here that economic stimulus initiatives like the U.S. Cash for Clunkers program are beginning to have an effect, and that the company is bullish about the market for "smartbooks" and electronic books.

"It is crystal clear that the recession is over," Beyer told EE Times. "This gives us confidence. Also, the third quarter is shaping up better than the previous two. I hope this is the beginning of a return to steady growth, though no one can say how long it will take to return to normalcy."

Stimulus packages unveiled in the U.S., China and India have helped revive the global economy, he said. In particular, the U.S. auto stimulus program has helped car makers and suppliers like Freescale. China's stimulus package helped boost the market for networking products. India's stimulus package provided a buffer that limited the economic impact of the recession, Beyer added.

"Freescale is in the process of becoming a new company. We are enhancing our business strategy, improving our product development cycle, streamlining business processes, eliminating bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the corporate structure and in the supply chain," Beyer said.

He warned however that the recession could turn companies inward, preventing them from identifying emerging opportunities. Growth opportunities identified by Freescale include networking, health and safety and green technology markets, Beyer said.

Potential new markets for Freescale include smartbooks and e-books. Beyer said smartbooks, a variation on smartphones and netbooks, could be a bigger hit with consumers than conventional netbook computers.

An Indian company, Smartlink, unveiled a prototype here of its smartbook that uses Freescale's technology.

Freescale also is seeking to broaden its ties with Indian IT service providers beyond current partners L&T Infotech and Wipro Technologies. The U.S. company employs more than 1,000 engineers at its VLSI design center in Noida, near New Delhi, and at its multicore software development organization in Hyderabad.

 
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