Mark Templeton Inducted into Phil Kaufman Hall of Fame by the ESD Alliance and IEEE CEDA

Templeton Recognized Posthumously for Technical and Business Innovation

MILPITAS, CALIF. –– October 3, 2022 –– Mark Templeton, the former managing director of investment firm Scientific Ventures, and a Lanza techVentures investment partner and board member, today was inducted posthumously into the Phil Kaufman Hall of Fame.

The honor, co-sponsored by the Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance of SEMI and the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA), recognizes Templeton’s significant and innovative contributions to the electronic system design industry. 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.

At the time of his death in 2016, Templeton was a prominent and highly respected Silicon Valley venture capitalist who leveraged his engineering background to foster scientific advancement.

“Mark Templeton’s legacy of business innovation and creativity endures after his untimely death at age 57,” said Bob Smith, executive director of the ESD Alliance. “As a director and board member of numerous technology companies, he was instrumental in driving semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market growth by spearheading technical innovations and developing new business models.”

“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,” said Gi-Joon Nam, president of CEDA and principal research scientist at IBM Research.

Templeton 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 System on Chip (SoC) designs.

“Often overlooked is Mark’s genius,” said Lucio Lanza, managing director of Lanza techVentures, who nominated Mr. Templeton for recognition. “He created a new and innovative business model for silicon IP, moving away from upfront fees to a success-based approach.”

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 ever since. 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, Templeton was president and Chief Strategy Office of Arm North America and also served on the Arm Holdings board of directors.

In addition, Templeton 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.

Templeton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Boston University.

About the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA)

The IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA) provides a focal point for EDA activities spread across seven IEEE societies (Antennas and Propagation, Circuits and Systems, Computer, Electron Devices, Electronics Packaging, Microwave Theory and Techniques, and Solid-State Circuits). The Council sponsors or co-sponsors over a dozen key EDA conferences including: Design Automation Conference (DAC), Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD), Design Automation and Test in Europe (DATE), and events at Embedded Systems Week (ESWEEK). The Council also publishes IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits & Systems (TCAD), IEEE Design & Test (D&T), and IEEE Embedded Systems Letters (ESL). The Council boasts a prestigious awards program in order to promote the recognition of leading EDA professionals, which includes the A. Richard Newton, Phil Kaufman, and Ernest S. Kuh Early Career Awards. The Council welcomes new volunteers and local chapters.

Stay in touch with IEEE CEDA

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About the Electronic System Design Alliance

The Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community representing members in the electronic system and semiconductor design ecosystem, is a community that addresses technical, marketing, economic and legislative issues affecting the entire industry. It acts as the central voice to communicate and promote the value of the semiconductor design ecosystem as a vital component of the global electronics industry.

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Association Contacts

Bob Smith
SEMI/ESD Alliance
Email: bsmith@semi.org
Phone: 1.650.269.8780

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Nanette Collins
Public Relations for the ESD Alliance
Email: nanette@nvc.com
Phone: 1.617.437.1822