IP pricing

[kingmouf]

Dear all,

I need to evaluate some options on whether we can afford to buy IP for an FPGA design or we have to develop it ourselves. However, it is impossible for me to find any prices... only to contact a sales person. Since I am on the engineering side and the project is in very very early conceptual stages, I would prefer to evaluate options without having to talk to all the sales teams that have relevant IPs. Is there somewhere a place that lists prices for IPs - are there any IP houses that publish prices openly?

Thank you in advance,
Andreas

 

[jt_eaton]

There are several reasons for this.


1) What you pay may depend on who you are. Small users pay retail, buy ones pay wholesale.

2) Salesmen like to be able to call you back and check on how things are going, and they will do this again and again and again.

3) They don't want to show their prices to their competitors.

4) If there is enough interest then they might actually design the IP that they have been advertising

5) IP is complicated. Its really hard to boil it all down into a single number.


John Eaton

 

[Daniel Nenni]

Dear all,

I need to evaluate some options on whether we can afford to buy IP for an FPGA design or we have to develop it ourselves. However, it is impossible for me to find any prices... only to contact a sales person. Since I am on the engineering side and the project is in very very early conceptual stages, I would prefer to evaluate options without having to talk to all the sales teams that have relevant IPs. Is there somewhere a place that lists prices for IPs - are there any IP houses that publish prices openly?

Thank you in advance,
Andreas

Design And Reuse, The System-On-Chip Design Resource - IP, Core, SoC is the IP shopping site. You may be able to get pricing without talking to anyone. What IP are you looking at? I may be able to get ballpark pricing but again IP it is very design specific.

 

[kingmouf]

There are several reasons for this.

4) If there is enough interest then they might actually design the IP that they have been advertising

John Eaton

Thank you for your answer John! But you confused a little bit with (4). Do you actually mean that they advertise IP cores that they have not designed and tested? This sounds a little bit creepy...

 

[kingmouf]

Thank you Daniel! I registered to the website and maybe I'll get some answers back. I understand what you and John are saying about the IP. I am just wondering if there are other IP providers such as SiFive that provide a simple IP licensing and pricing model. I want to use some security -related IP and maybe some interfacing IP.

 

[Daniel Nenni]

Thank you Daniel! I registered to the website and maybe I'll get some answers back. I understand what you and John are saying about the IP. I am just wondering if there are other IP providers such as SiFive that provide a simple IP licensing and pricing model. I want to use some security -related IP and maybe some interfacing IP.

Then you should definitely contact SiFive and see about their DesignShare program:

https://www.semiwiki.com/forum/content/7126-designshare-all-about-enabling-design-winse.html

For interface IP Eric Esteve is the one to ask. That is his area of expertise.

 

[kingmouf]

This is a really interesting concept!! Thank you again Daniel, you have been a great resource!!

 

[jt_eaton]

Thank you for your answer John! But you confused a little bit with (4). Do you actually mean that they advertise IP cores that they have not designed and tested? This sounds a little bit creepy...

When they tell you it will be available "Real Soon Now" then you should worry.

John Eaton

 

[robertschulz]

I may be able to get ballpark pricing but again IP it is very design specific.

In many cases IP companies also offer to change their IP to your special needs, if it's not a big thing.

 

[deepshika1]

There are several reasons for this.


1) What you pay may depend on who you are. Small users pay retail, buy ones pay wholesale.

2) Salesmen like to be able to call you back and check on how things are going, and they will do this again and again and again.

3) They don't want to show their prices to their competitors.

4) If there is enough interest then they might actually design the IP that they have been advertising

5) IP is complicated. Its really hard to boil it all down into a single number.


John Eaton

Could you please elaborate point 5!

 

[jt_eaton]

Could you please elaborate point 5!

You may pay a NRE and a price per part. You can get a lower PPP by paying a higher NRE.

If you pick a configuration that they have already processed for another customer it could be cheaper than one where they still have to to do that work.