Semiconductor Strategy and Advisory Services

SemiAdvisors provides senior advisory services to semiconductor manufacturers, technology companies, investors, and government-linked organizations navigating the intersection of industry, policy, and capital. Principal Mike O'Brien brings four decades of experience across the full semiconductor ecosystem, from EDA and chip design through front and back-end manufacturing, combined with three years of direct service at the CHIPS Program Office, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Every engagement draws on a deep, active network of industry, government, academic, and investment professionals built over decades of startup and vertical-building roles across the semiconductor ecosystem. Where client needs call for it, SemiAdvisors works with affiliated consulting, advisory, and legal firms to deliver integrated support across technical, strategic, policy, and transactional dimensions.

Government Funding and CHIPS Act Strategy

Mike served as Senior Director at the CHIPS Program Office, where he helped shape funding opportunity structures, review criteria, and awards across the full range of manufacturing, supply chain and research categories. That firsthand experience, plus over a decade securing government funding while at Synopsys, informs practical, grounded advice on how companies can align their technology, investment, and regulatory strategies with U.S. policy objectives and available funding pathways.

Ecosystem Alignment: Industry, Government, and Academia

The most durable competitive advantages in semiconductors are built through ecosystems, not individual transactions. Mike and his network have spent careers architecting and scaling those relationships, from joint development programs with IBM and Arm to public-private partnerships with DARPA, IARPA, NSTXL, and ME Commons Hubs. SemiAdvisors brings a proven approach to identifying where a client's strategic interests intersect with government priorities, academic research agendas, and industry partner incentives, and structuring the collaborations that create lasting value.

Business Development and Go-to-Market in Government and Defense

Mike founded and led the Aerospace and Government vertical at Synopsys, building it from the ground up into a practice that closed more than $200M in OTA contracts with DARPA, IARPA, Northrop Grumman, BAE, and others. That experience, combined with deep familiarity with government contracting vehicles, procurement dynamics, and agency relationship development, gives SemiAdvisors clients a meaningful advantage when entering or expanding in the government and defense markets. Mike and his network maintain active relationships across the defense industrial base, relevant government agencies, and the national lab and university research community.

EDA, IP, and Design Ecosystem Advisory

Thirty years at Synopsys and Cadence, including global account leadership for IBM and Arm, provides Mike and the SemiAdvisors network a distinctive vantage point on EDA strategy, IP licensing, and the design ecosystem. The firm advises semiconductor companies, EDA vendors, and investors on competitive positioning, partnership development, and go-to-market strategy in these markets.