During industry downturns, most OEMs are forced to cut down on R&D spend and lay off part of their workforce to sustain the cost. Once the industry recovers, these companies find themselves in a situation where they do not have cutting edge products to take to the market. They also suffer from a damaged reputation due to layoffs. In this paper, we will find out how strategic outsourcing can help the semiconductor manufacturing industry to:

• Ensure continuity of R&D during downturns
• Support end-customers globally irrespective of industry cycles
• Take cutting edge products to market as and when industry recovers from downturns
• Improve time to market