Marcelino Santos proudly opens a box of earbuds from a major global brand. Inside these sleek devices is a tiny circuit designed by SiliconGate — the INESC-ID spin-off specialising in analog and mixed-signal chip design.”These earbuds were a worldwide success”, says the co-founder of the company.
The story of SiliconGate began more than 15 years ago with a sabbatical leave. In 2006, Marcelino Santos, an INESC-ID researcher and Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, decided to take a sabbatical. “I was curious,” he recalls. “After years in academia, I wanted real industry experience before continuing to teach.” His search led him to Chipidea, an interesting Portuguese company specialising in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits.
Marcelino recounts how welcoming Chipidea was. “When I proposed my sabbatical plan, they gathered all their group leaders and let me choose where to focus. That openness was remarkable.”
His background was primarily in digital integrated circuit testing, with a focus on defect analysis. But power management circuits intrigued him. “Power management involves large devices and deep knowledge of physical structures, which connects well with what I’d been doing.”
Entrusted with leading a project despite his newcomer status, Marcelino quickly found himself at the heart of fast-paced, real-world chip development. But in 2007, Chipidea was sold, and what initially seemed like a setback turned into a catalyst for something new.
Faced with the uncertainty of the sale, Marcelino noticed a pool of talented engineers suddenly at risk of losing their positions. “Portugal didn’t have any other company focused on power management design at the time. Letting this expertise slip away would have been a loss for the industry and for the country.”
Together with four engineers, Marcelino decided to act. In December 2008, SiliconGate was born — a spin-off rooted in INESC-ID’s lab but with commercial ambitions. “We started in the third-floor lab at INESC-ID, mixing student talent with experienced engineers.”
This hybrid academic-industrial model enabled them to build prototypes, prepare demonstrations, and gradually establish credibility. SiliconGate’s first products would soon enter the global market.
SiliconGate’s evolution was shaped by client demands — often from highly specialised sectors. Marcelino highlights one pivotal partnership with an Israeli client in the banking card industry. “Israeli companies lead in data encryption and secure chip technology used worldwide. They asked us to develop the power management circuit for smart credit cards.”
This project required rigorous testing and characterisation to meet strict quality and robustness standards. “It pushed us to elevate our lab capabilities significantly. The intensive measurement work shaped the way we operate today.”
The lab’s transformation is also a personal story. “Tiago Moita, my former PhD student and now lab leader, developed automation techniques essential for our testing. But without high standards set by our clients, our progress would have been limited.”
Standing ovation
SiliconGate’s lab is a key differentiator. The company designs circuits, which clients then integrate and fabricate — often through foundries in Taiwan. Then the fabricated chips return to SiliconGate’s lab for performance validation.
“This feedback loop is crucial,” Marcelino explains. “It’s not a simple hand-off. We verify that the chip performs as promised in real conditions. If not, we refine our design. It’s a negative feedback loop — in terms of engineering – which allows us to improve continuously.”
This rigorous approach has allowed SiliconGate to tackle projects beyond power management, including circuits for CERN to withstand particle radiation, automotive-grade components, and consumer electronics.
But certainly the product that makes Marcelino and his team prouder is the power management IC (responsible for battery charging and management) inside the commercial Bluetooth headphones he has in his office, ready to unbox and show off. “When we visited the company in Japan, after the launch of the phones, we were received with a standing ovation, that is how happy they were with it!”
From a small startup, SiliconGate grew to a team of about 30 engineers split between Lisbon and Porto, adapting to remote work trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Initially, I was skeptical about remote work. But the team proved their commitment and productivity.”
However, the semiconductor crisis of 2021 posed a severe challenge. “We went a whole year without closing deals because fabrication plants were full. We paid salaries from reserves, facing the brink of collapse. It was a critical moment”, Marcelino admits.
The company survived by maintaining discipline, flexibility, and trust in its people. “The crisis taught us resilience and validated our remote work capabilities.”
Despite its commercial success, SiliconGate remains deeply connected to academia and research. It participates in European projects like PAVIS (enhancing MRI imaging), UNLOCK (power management for ultrasound implants), and GreenCHIPS (energy-efficient circuits).
“These projects provide stability when commercial work slows and let us push technological frontiers,” Marcelino notes.
On a note for entrepreneurs, Marcelino says: “There’s no substitute for experience. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t start with a business plan but by working in the field — learning products, customers, and pain points.” And shares a simple analogy: “A repairman in my hometown of Beja wanted his own shop. He worked first in another shop to learn the trade. That’s the path.”
Patience and adaptability have been key, especially dealing with workload fluctuations common in hardware startups. European projects help smooth the cycles, but the road remains demanding.
SiliconGate is now recognised internationally, part of the TSMC ecosystem as a certified IP provider, and visible on industry platforms like Design & Reuse and ChipEstimate. The company’s reputation is built on quality, trust, and the ability to meet stringent client demands.
Marcelino smiles when asked about his entrepreneurial journey: “It wasn’t planned. It was a series of fortunate accidents. The important part is recognising opportunity when it knocks and embracing it.”
The hardest of being an entrepreneur:
“Dealing with workload fluctuations. That is, there are times when we would need twice as many engineers. And there are times when it would be good to pay only half the salaries, because there just isn’t enough work to justify having so many people.”
The main lesson:
“The biggest lesson I take away is the need to go out there — to immerse yourself in the field, in the market. That is, anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur in a given area should first start working in that area to understand it: to learn about the products — what they really are, the technical details — and to get to know the players: who is selling, who the clients are, and how the business process works. After that, then yes, one can begin to see clearly.”
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Text by Sara Sá
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