Microsemi has kept itself busy lately. In addition to fending off a patent infringement suit and gearing up for DesignMED, several company reps sat with MED's editors last week to discuss their goals and the industry in general. Microsemi wants to be a billion dollar company, and it is hoping that its line of FPGAs will help get it there. (Technically, the FPGAs were developed by Actel, which was acquired by Microsemi earlier this year.)
 
Like many other companies, Microsemi has its eyes on the medical device sector for future growth—specifically implantables. The medical device area only accounts for a small portion of Microsemi's business (about 12% after the acquisition) but the company is banking on the fact that its FPGAs are the only flash-based ones on the market. Example applications for the devices include dental cameras, cardiac recorders, robotic surgery consoles, oncology equipment, etc.
 
And although Microsemi couldn't say much about it, the company does have some sort of technology for the Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) that may be unveiled in the next couple of years. We'll be watching. —Lawrence Lloyd