Posted on August, 2007.
Mike Fister was named President & CEO at Cadence this past spring, just in time for DAC 2004. Fister's appointment caused quite a stir at Cadence, and in the industry, because change always does. We spoke by phone on September 15, 2004 - the same week as the Cadence Users Group Conference in San Jose. Q: How is the Cadence Users Group Conference going? Fister: [Very well], although I've only been able to be there for a little bit this week. Q: Presuming you've moved in from out of the area to take over at Cadence, how has the relocation to San Jose gone for you? Fister: Our home is in Portland, Oregon and [we still have children in the area], so I'll be commuting down to San Jose. [But it doesn't matter where I am because] I'm very much a work-all-the-time person, which means I work about 100 hours a week. But, I've always loved what I do and I'm very committed to our Cadence team, [so it's not going to be a problem]. I'm also a big bicycle rider. I ride a lot in Oregon, and it's great that there's lots of biking in this area as well. Q: Where were you born and where did you grow up? Fister: I was born in Savannah, Georgia, but I grew up in Cincinnati. My father was a EE - he was infamous in the [design of the] instrumentation in jet engines at GE. So, I grew up wanting to be like Dad. I attended the University of Cincinnati, where I got my BSEE and my MSEE. [While I was in college], I did an engineering co-op at Intel, where I worked on the 4040 and 4004 and got a lot of notoriety for some special stuff I did on those products when they were first coming out. So, after I got my MSEE, I went to work for Intel full time. [At one point], I left Intel to join a small company working in the area of robotics. We were working on machine vision and the problems were pretty intriguing. We developed non-traditional computer architecture approaches [to the problem] based on an abstract algebraic approach - not a statistical approach. It's the computer architecture guys who [usually succeed in applying] these techniques to problems like traditional data processing, vision, and control. After I left the start-up, I went back to Intel to develop microprocessors and micro-controllers, where several thousand of my buddies and I built product lines that you're probably typing on right now. We pursued the thoughtful evolution of products through to today's Pentium III and IV, which allowed us to change the world. I'll never be able to fully show the total strategy behind all of that - you've just got to meet guys like me and some of my colleagues to understand. It was a very considered evolution of those products - different products [to address the needs] of many different types of users. We always planned the microprocessors at Intel with architectural innovations that would also show a product continuum. The why and the sense of the product flows were always implicit in the success of those product lines, because in the design process, it's the approach you're taking and knowing what kind of product you want to build. And, of course, always at the root [of everything] is a design method that's dependent on the human dynamic in the tools. All of that left me interested in going out and trying to help our industry supercharge the inevitable, which is to be increasingly more dependent on the computer. You can see how I'm a logical guy to a fault. Although I was trained as an engineer, I've always been more interested in how people think as opposed to how to get things done. My old man derives a formula [to solve a problem] when he needs it, whereas I develop a theory. Electrical engineering training is at the root of everything I've done, even in this adventure into EDA. Because in the design process, it's the approach you're taking which is just as much a part of the thing as what kind of product you want to build. As the world continues to evolve, the complexity and dynamics increase - we'll have larger and larger devices, devices with crazy performance [metrics], and products that combine mixed signal with analog/digital stuff. All of us are going to increasingly benefit from the companies in our industry. I have an organizational approach for integrating that experience and [helping to push that process forward]. Q: At the Gartner/Dataquest Semiconductor Conference this week, Intel CTO Patrick Gelsinger said that everything in design revolves around Platform, Package, and Power. Would you agree? Fister: For me, it's more about the social issues. Q: At that same conference, Gartner Analyst Jim Tully closed by summarizing the three major themes he saw at work in the industry - Consumer, China, and Consolidation. What do you think? Fister: Yes, there is going to be further consolidation in the industry. At Cadence, we're very thoughtful about that and the roles we are going to play in doing that. We're busy trying to integrate disparate technology and [looking to achieve] a better, holistic tool set rather a tool for each domain. And while we're bragging about our demonstrable [technology], we're also walking the talk about Open Access. [The ability to develop tools in an open environment promises] incredible rewards to the industry. We want to be the driving force behind Open Access - to drive our tools for interoperability, which may [actually] help drive our competitors' tools. So, it's a bold move for us, because we're daring ourselves to be good. But it's promising a new era in open industry participation - and a breath of fresh air. Also, there are issues about licensing that we're addressing. There are a number of different business models that can go in a number [of different directions]. I'm very open to the view of trying the different things that will link us to the manufacturing ability of our customers, so we're also very concerned about] tools for manufacturability. [Many customers] have an idea that yield is more than the raw counting of dies, but [also in considering] the goodness of the product. However, you don't know how good it is, until you get to the end of the [manufacturing] loop. That's the reason why design is inexplicably linked to manufacturing. A company must never stand still in its technology or its business model. Our leadership in the industry means we're going to lead the industry and [at the same time] compete with ourselves. We will be innovating not only in the technical areas, but also in business areas with relationships that we've formed with key customers - relationships, which are very methodical, while also allowing us to sustain our [leadership in the industry]. [All in all], we are all about trying to help our customers. By the way, this may sound like a Cadence commercial, but it really isn't. [Laughing] Q: How do you feel things are going in the EDA industry? I'm a business pragmatist. I believe product lines should be the drivers - I'm not a technology zealot like some. At Intel, we were always careful about the evolution of the technology and timing of the technology, so that the product flow and the timing were very thoughtful. From Intel's standpoint, it's the product guys who are the most powerful manifestation of what the industry is doing. In the EDA industry, we [frequently and unfortunately] get people to delve into unbelievably deep detail about stuff that doesn't have a lot of relevance to what the customer is trying to do. My fiber is [all about] looking at the problems that people are trying to solve - it's about a timing process synchronization. I want to look at the domains that will be the most relevant to users of our tools, [particularly] on a two-to-three year cycle. As an example - somebody's attacking a mixed-mode design with analog, digital, high performance specs - there may be a technology that's preserved or reserved to do all of that, but laboring through and debating whether our technology is better than somebody else's ability to solve the problem is largely an academic exercise. I want to train our technology into a useable tool kit that attacks the application domain. I want to see [our customers getting] more value out of the holism of the approach - an entirely differently mentality. In the quest for leadership in EDA, however, some people have decided to base their [position] totally on a technical foundation that sounds like techno-babble to customers. In fact, however, EDA is all about time to market, managing complexity, and garnering value for the integration of what our customers are doing. When the Apple guys built the best MP3 player in the world, they weren't trying to say that they wanted to integrate this magnetic storage with that interface and [so on]. They were saying they wanted to create a package [with these specific features] that would fit into a pocket. They worked with the rest of the industry to integrate [specific technologies] to create a product that was smaller, sleeker, and cooler. And that's where our efforts should be directed. I want us [to work with the customers, who are working] with hierarchical flows at 90 nanometers. It's a Fister passion that we're going to be in that thin strata of people, who actually talk to our customers' customers, because those are the penultimate "What?" guys. They'll give us the insight as to whether or not our tools and technology are relevant. We'll benefit [by adding] more value to our tools, our technology, and our services. Q: When will Cadence buy Wind River? Fister: [Big laugh] I haven't thought that much about it. Q: A VC recently told me that the Cadence organization of late has been nothing short of a train wreck - a place of internal squabbles and contentious fiefdoms. How would you respond to that criticism? Fister: Cadence has grown by acquisition and that's the [source] of some of that criticism. People wonder if we're going to be able to fully integrate those acquisitions - so it's fair to ask those questions. But, our post-acquisition retention characteristics are very strong and very high. Ping Chao is one of those guys and is a key member of the acquisition team. I would tell you that, coming into this thing, we could be a better-integrated team, but we've got some very positive things going on at Cadence. My reputation is one of being a special person who's able to [communicate] inclusivity, camaraderie, and teamwork. So, watch the situation at Cadence play itself out. We're going to bulk up the team in a few spots, and I know you're going to be impressed with the [additions to the team]. The people we're bringing in will be a great complement to the [existing structure], just like I was a complement to a great team. Oh yeah - and we're going to have fun!
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