Can AI and Semiconductor Design Still Be Built in Silos?

— And What That Means for Building Innovation Capability Today

A few years ago, your silicon and software teams could work in parallel. Today, they can’t afford to.

Every advancement in AI — smarter models, edge deployment, tighter latency — demands more from the chip underneath. And every chip design today? It’s expected to anticipate what AI will need tomorrow.

That’s a lot to carry — and it’s a tension many teams are navigating in real-time.

The Questions We’re Hearing More Often

At BOLTCHIP, we work with companies building more than just chips. They’re building intelligent systems.

They’re asking: • Can silicon be optimized for real-time inference without killing power budgets? • What does a hardware-software feedback loop really look like? • How do we bring VLSI engineers and ML scientists into the same conversation — not just the same company?

These aren’t technical questions alone. They’re collaboration questions. And the answer isn’t more headcount — it’s structure.

GCCs, Reimagined for Intelligence-Driven Design

We’ve seen traditional engineering models struggle to keep up with this convergence. That’s why we designed our Global Capability Centers differently.

Built on our BOLT model — Build, Operate, Learn, Transfer — these aren’t delivery arms. They’re co-creation hubs for companies ready to scale across: • IC Design • AI & ML Systems • IP Development in areas like NoC, CXL, and PCIe Gen6 • Digital Transformation aligned with Industry 4.0 and 5.0 goals

These centers are designed not just for execution, but for acceleration — where silicon, software, and system thinking converge to drive smarter innovation outcomes. The teams are integrated. The learning is continuous. And the infrastructure is built to scale with ambition, not stall under complexity.

What We’ve Learned (and Keep Learning)

The companies that bring their AI and silicon teams together early — technically and culturally — design better, faster, and with fewer wrong turns. And the ones that try to bolt them on later? They spend more time translating than building.

That’s why we built the BOLT model: To help companies move faster, with less friction, and more control over their innovation backbone.

If This Sounds Familiar…

If you’re navigating this complexity — designing for tomorrow while managing today’s constraints — we get it. You’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out alone either.

Let’s talk about what a smarter capability model could look like for you.