Cellzome CEO, Charles Cohen
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Serono
Public company based in Geneva, Switzerland
• CEO: Ernesto Bertarelli
• What it does: Develops products to treat infertility, multiple sclerosis and growth deficiencies for children and adults, and hiv-associated wasting diseases.
• Why it's hot: With revenues of $1.38 billion, Serono is the third-largest biotech company in the world.
serono.com
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group
Public company based in Basingstoke, England
• CEO: Rolf Stahel
• What it does: Develops products for central nervous-system disorders, oncology and infectious diseases.
• Why it's hot: Shire, which covers the specialty pharmaceutical and biological sectors, had 2001 revenues of almost $900 million and has more than 20 projects in the pipeline.
shire.com
SEMICONDUCTORS
The global slump has been rocky for the business of making chips and microprocessors that power a broad array of electronic devices. But innovation continues.
Adelante Technologies
Private company based in Leuven, Belgium
• CEO: Karsten Popp
• What it does: Founded in June 2001, through the merger between Belgium's Frontier Design and the digital signal processing (dsp) division of Philips Semiconductors, the company specializes in system-on-a-chip embedded signal processing for the wireless, consumer infotainment and networking sectors.
• Why it's hot: New Internet-based features for wireless handheld devices like video require high capacity without any increase in power consumption. Adelante Technologies tackles this problem by combining application-specific co-processor technology with a high-performance dsp core.
adelantetech.com
ARM Holdings*
Public company based in Cambridge, England
• CEO: Warren East
• What it does: Licenses its risc microprocessors and system-on-a-chip designs for consumer goods as well as encryption and industrial applications.
• Why it's hot: ARM controls an estimated 80% of the global market for the chips in mobile handsets and now wants to move beyond mobile phones into consumer and networking products.
arm.com
Cambridge Silicon Radio*
Private company based in Cambridge, England
• CEO: John Hodgson
• What it does: Makes single-chip radio devices for wireless communications, including Bluetooth, which allows for connections within a 10-m radius.
• Why it's hot: Demand is expected to skyrocket as manufacturers integrate Bluetooth chips into everything from laptops to cars. In May, csr announced that Microsoft will use its single-chip Bluetooth technology in its next-generation wireless mouse and keyboard.
csr.com
Infineon Technologies*
Public company based in Munich, Germany
• CEO: Ulrich Schumacher
• What it does: Makes D-Ram memory products and semiconductors for a variety of sectors, including smart cards.
• Why it's hot: Security concerns following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. have increased demand for smart cards.
infineon.com
Parthus Technologies*
Public company based in Dublin, Ireland
• CEO: Brian Long
• What it does: Licenses platform technology for the mobile Internet, including the 802.11 family of specifications for high-speed wireless networks, global satellite positioning and multimedia.
• Why it's hot: Technology consultancy the Gartner Group says a proposed merger with the intellectual property licensing business of Israel's dsp Group should catapult Parthus from No. 8 to No. 4 worldwide in this sector.
parthus.com