Dolphin Design is a semiconductor design company, founded in 2018, formerly known as Dolphin Integration, based in Meylan in the Grenoble region (France).
| Dolphin Design | |
| Locations: | Meylan, France; Laval, Quebec, Canada |
| Area Served: | International |
| Industry: | Semiconductors |
| Revenue: | 21 942 000 € (December 31, 2021) |
| Net Income: | 1 040 000€ (December 31, 2021) |
| Owner: | Soitec (60%), MBDA (40%) |
| Num Employees: | 160, including 130 Engineers |
Dolphin Design is a semiconductor design company, created in 2018. Dolphin Design is based in Meylan in the Grenoble region. It also has R&D offices in Montreal, Canada, and Singapore.[1]
Dolphin Integration as it was formerly known, is a semiconductor design company, established in 1985, with the mission of developing complex analog, digital, and mixed-signal IPs for design companies.
The catalog initially included libraries of standard cells and embedded memory generators, converter for measurement and high-resolution audio processing, low-power IPs, EDA solutions which included a mixed signal simulator (SMASH).
Since then, the catalog has evolved to include IPs for ultra-low-power management, audio, MCU sub-system, AI/ML accelerator, and DSPs.
As of 2022, the company employs +170 people. Its turnover as of December 31, 2021 is: €21 942 000.[2]
Dolphin Design develops analog, digital, and mixed-signal IPs and platforms in the area of audio, ultra-low-power, AI/ML, and processing.
In 2020, Dolphin Design received the Solar Impulse Label,[3] and in 2022 it received the Embedded World Award[4] in the startup category for its AI/ML accelerator (TinyRaptor). This product was developing following a three-year collaboration with the CEA Grenoble (List Laboratory).
It proposes a range of products using different technologies: machine learning, digital signal processor, ASIC, Neural Processor Unit, voltage regulator, edge computing, wearables, and automotive.
The semiconductor market has been growing rapidly since the 1970s. The growth has accelerated in the last few decades especially in the areas of IoT, edge computing, wearables, and automotive.
It collaborates with foundries companies such as: TSMC, GlobalFoundries, SMIC, Samsung, to develop its products.
Half of their name comes from the Dolphin, referring to the French province where lies its headquarters, the Dauphiné. Their logo is a dolphin jumping with the shape of an integral symbol. It jumps over the pad-ring of an integrated circuit, which yields the other half of their name.
Founding of Dolphin Integration in 1985 with a dedication to design services to the Integrated Device Makers (IDM) in the wake of deverticalization of this industry.[5]
COOPEREL prize from then FIEE, now FIEEC as the French Federation of Electrical, Electronics, and Communication Industries.
Partnership with the French military procurement at Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) for dual high-tech (with civil applications).
Microelectronic trophy from EUROASIC for a joint project with Roland Moreno, the inventor of the smart card.
Launch of Dolphin's first Virtual Component of Silicon IP sold to fabless IC suppliers at the time of emergence of TSMC as the first foundry.
First foray into Asian markets started in Japan.
First-ever conference-exposition for the nascent IP business with "IP-97" in Santa Clara.
Market entry into Taiwan.
Acquisition of the first working virtual components (i8051) from Richard Watts Associates who had designed it for the Music synthesizer of Evolution Ltd (Shenzhen).
First contract signed with Chinese customer in Shanghai at the first Design Automation Conference.
Stock exchange listing on the French over-the-counter market (MLDOL)[5]
Fall-out from DGA-funded innovation in an essential integrated circuit for the Airbus A380[6]
Funding of Dolphin Integration Inc. in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for the development of power regulators.
Reward at the tenth edition of Innovation Trophy, organized by the French National Industrial Property Institute[7]
Trophy of the "best service partner" in microelectronic design for the twentieth anniversary of STMicroelectronics[8]
Transfer of stock-listing to the Alternext market (ALDOL)[9]
Certification [10]
Funding of Dolphin Integration Ltd. in Netanya, Israel for the development of register files
3 partnership agreements with TSMC for audio codecs at 40, 55, and 65 nm.
First sale in Korea of high-resolution measurement converters for smart grid applications
First partnership with TSMC for developing a sponsored library offering
"TSMC IP partner award" for analog/mixed-signal IP for high-SNR audio converters [11]
First contract with a European defense manufacturer, resulting from a collaborative project funded by the European Defense Agency (EDA SoC) [12]
Renewal of the "innovative company" qualification by the BPI-France (the French Public Investment Bank)
Dolphin Integration receives TSMC's Open Innovation Platform® 2014 Partner of the Year Award for Specialty IP[13]
Dolphin Integration receives TSMC's Open Innovation Platform® 2015 Partner of the Year Award for Specialty IP[14]
Dolphin Integration enters a new era following the appointment of Christian Dupont as CEO of the company.
Dolphin Integration enters bankruptcy proceedings[15]
Dolphin Integration has been acquired by Soitec (60%) and MBDA (40%) for a total amount of 5 M€ [16]
Philippe Berger was appointed as new CEO.[17]
Dolphin Integration becomes Dolphin Design.
Silvaco acquired the memory compiler technologies and standard cell libraries of Dolphin Design.[18]
The company received the "Solar Impulse Efficient Solution" Label, rewarding profitable solutions that protect the environment, for its SPEED platforms. [19]
Dolphin Design and CEA-List join forces for a new embedded AI computing platform. [20]
Dolphin Design wins an Embedded Award for Tiny Raptor, its Energy-Efficient Neural Network AI Accelerator. [21]
Dolphin Design enables Orca's RF SoCs for direct-to-satellite communications. [22]
Dolphin Design announces the signature of an Industrial Chair with 3IA Côte d’Azur, Côte d'Azur University. [23]