Chip type seems really irrelevant

If we study demand patterns for the type of chips in communications segment, one cannot draw definite conclusions. There is no clear cut leading chip type. We have availability of specific function chips which are developed over ASICs, ASSPs, DSPs, FPGAs, etc. But all types are doing business.

Maybe we see more DSPs being used in communications market but that is primarily because Texas Instruments, leader among the chip makers, is pushing the technology. If they decide to go for some other platform, say FPGAs, we should see FPGA usage growing.

Developers want a chip that has with it all the requisite peripheries and possible add-ons together with a tool kit that can give them the flexibility of molding the chip as per their requirement. This feature is enabled across all the chip types and thus equipment vendors really don’t have a clear preference for a certain chip type to be used for a particular application. Perhaps the selection is governed by other non-technical factors like price and the level of comfort that the equipment vendor feels while dealing with a specific chip type.