FAQS
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to your questions about our microelectronics solutions and services.
Company Information
One could argue semiconductors have been around since the 1950’s. One could further argue that “obsolescence” sprung up in the 1980’s as industries that needed continuity of supply for a long time struggled with parts going End of Life(EOL) and dreaded Last Time Buy. So, in general, industry has been living for 40 years with a handful of EOL solutions that depended on access to the original silicon. We created Phoenix Semiconductor because we felt the industry needed another option.
In mythology, the phoenix is a radiant bird that bursts into flame at the end of its life and is reborn from its own ashes — renewed, powerful, and eternal. Obsolete or discontinued chips often represent the “ashes” of innovation. We bring legacy semiconductors back to life, recreating them with modern materials and processes while preserving their original purpose and form.
Yes, we can. We continue to build real life case examples.
No, we start from a blank canvas, lots of research and a top-notch team of engineering leaders from a variety of disciplines.
Avnet and Phoenix Semiconductor entered into a distribution franchise agreement in October 2025. The agreement allows Avnet to sell Phoenix Semiconductor chips, and all Phoenix Semiconductor point-of-sale opportunities will be handled through Avnet. Avnet is one of the world’s top distributors with a massive reach where they serve hundreds of thousands of customers. Our agreement with Avnet helps them better serve their customers by providing legacy chips on demand and at scale.
While it is true that China is strategically targeting the legacy semiconductor supply chain in hopes of controlling production and supply of key legacy components; we believe the United States should act now in order to keep legacy chip building capacity here at home. Legacy semiconductors are used in a vast majority of US military equipment, and it is in our national and strategic interest to have robust and thriving, American-made semiconductor supply chain for security purposes.
Simply put – to go faster. The Phoenix Semiconductor plan is solid and relies on working with customers to resolve their obsolescence issues, a pain point that is one of the most entrenched problems in modern industry. Government grants and funding would be helpful so that we can scale our operations much more quickly by investing in capital equipment. This will allow Phoenix to serve more customers at scale, faster.
Further, a primary market for legacy semiconductors is the Department of Defense and military applications. The DoD is historically slow moving and time to market is important for a start up like Phoenix Semiconductor. Government funding will be instrumental to our growth and ability to offer dual-use technologies, so that we can serve the needs of both military and commercial clients.
Yes tech refreshes are an important part of product lifecycles. However, not every chip in a system needs to be replaced at every refresh, and there can be hundreds of chips that have various functionality all in one system. Engineering teams don’t require all new chips, this is particularly true for older chips that don’t need to be upgraded. Our hope is that our solutions allow companies to do their tech refresh on their schedule, versus imposed on them as parts go EOL.
The world of “obsolescence” is massive. We do not believe there is one and only one solution to obsolescence. We created Phoenix Semiconductor to offer a new, novel solution. Furthermore, we believe that Phoenix Semiconductor can actually be a great partner to Rochester. Rochester facilitates access to an broad range of parts that have gone EOL. That said, essentially all semiconductors are placed on a board (CCA) and if a customer can source every single chip they need from Rochester, except one, they will not place that order. We believe we can help Rochester with completing a board if they are missing a critical component.
Since Phoenix Semiconductor is solving a problem in a new way, we’ll have the classic adoption concerns all companies face when they provide a paradigm shifting product. Because of this, Phoenix Semiconductor provides free engineering samples and test reports to all qualified customers. Proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
Engineering
Yes, our semiconductors are designed, tested and assembled in the USA. Our engineering team is located in Austin, Texas and we have a network of suppliers throughout the United States.
Phoenix Semiconductor chips are drop-in replacements of the legacy component. We are committed to manufacture the part you buy for as long as you need them.
Yes, through our partner Avnet.
Currently, about 75 SKU’s. Our intention is to add hundreds per year, and eventually thousands per year over time.
Instead of recreating the chip leveraging the typical fab model, which takes over 1-2 years and millions of dollars, our engineering team looks at the core functionality and specifications of a part and recreates a replica. We package this chip and test the chip relative to the original. This takes significantly less time and less non-recurring engineering (NRE) hours to perform.
We partner with suppliers across the United States for packaging, testing and qualification services. Phoenix Semiconductor has an established process for vetting suppliers that have a track record of excellence, are fully certified for mil-spec and high-reliability standards. We specifically look for that can serve the high mix and low volume of parts that our customers require.
Supply Chain & Obsolescence
The rapid growth in demand for consumer electronics that are on a quick 12-month design and production cycle means that the problem has gotten worse, as more parts are discontinued, more quickly. This leaves long cycle markets at a disadvantage. These markets have platforms that often outlast the electronic components inside them and need to be replaced for sustainment and maintenance, even if the original chip maker has discontinued that chip. Simultaneously, innovations in cost-effective packaging and automated design have presented new opportunities to solve this problem, and Phoenix Semiconductor is taking advantage of this to bring a paradigm shift to the market.
Today there are three common options to solve chip obsolescence.
- Stockpile chips before they are discontinued. This requires accurate predication of need and budget to buy and store chips for years.
- Purchase chips from aftermarket resellers, which incurs safety and security risks due to counterfeiting and tampering.
- Redesign the system with new components, which introduces production delays and budget overruns.
Chip obsolescence plagues all sectors of the economy that produce or rely on large, long-lived capital equipment. For the most part, consumer electronics, like phones, TVs, and laptops are not affected because 80% of the chips being manufactured today are going directly into these applications.
Defense, industrial manufacturing, commercial aerospace, transportation, infrastructure, and medical technology all have systems that are in production and sustainment for decades. This creates a mismatch to the lifecycle of a typical semiconductor chip, which rarely extends longer than 5-10 years.
Subscribe to our newsletter to
Get the Latest Updates
Sign up for our mailing list to get monthly insights, industry news, and expert analysis delivered straight to your inbox.