Mark Templeton Recognized Posthumously for Technical and Business Innovation

In so many ways, Mark Templeton was a giant in the semiconductor industry. At the time of his death in 2016, Mark was a prominent and highly respected Silicon Valley venture capitalist who leveraged his engineering background to foster scientific advancement.

That’s why it’s fitting that he was inducted posthumously this week into the Phil Kaufman Hall of Fame, co-sponsored by the ESD Alliance of SEMI and the IEEE CEDA. The honor recognizes Mark’s significant and innovative contributions to the electronic system design industry. 

Mark leaves a legacy of technical and business innovation and that creativity endures after his untimely death. As a director and board member of numerous technology companies, he was instrumental in driving semiconductor IP market growth by spearheading technical innovations and developing new business models. For example, Mark co-founded Artisan Components Physical IP in 1991, where he served as president and CEO. Under his leadership, Artisan Components quickly set the industry standard for implementing complex SoC designs.

“Often overlooked is Mark’s genius,” remarks Lucio Lanza, managing director of Lanza techVentures, who nominated Mark for the recognition. “He created a new and innovative business model for silicon IP, moving away from upfront fees to a success-based approach.” In fact, Artisan was the first company to offer free custom IP blocks for semiconductor design and was compensated once the design was completed, a model that has promoted design community growth. Tens of thousands of chip designs using custom IP blocks have since been implemented, spanning 15 different process technologies and 18 foundries. Artisan went public in 1997 and was acquired by Arm in 2004. From 2004 to 2006, Mark was president and Chief Strategy Office of Arm North America and also served on the Arm Holdings board of directors.

“In creating a new market segment, now widely known as silicon intellectual property, Mark Templeton left an indelible mark on the electronic system design industry,” adds Gi-Joon Nam, president of CEDA and principal research scientist at IBM Research.

At the latter part of his career, Mark was managing director of investment firm Scientific Ventures and a Lanza techVentures investment partner and board member. In addition, he served as chairman of the board of Ablesky and president and CEO of Fabbrix from 2006 until it was acquired by PDF Solutions in 2007.

The Phil Kaufman Hall of Fame was founded in 2021 to honor deceased members of the semiconductor design industry, who are ineligible to receive the Phil Kaufman Award, a policy set by the IEEE.

Visit the ESD Alliance website to learn more about the Phil Kaufman Hall of Fame and the link to download the 2023 nomination form. Or contact me at bsmith@semi.org if you have questions.

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