Jul 25, 2016

Tweet SAN FRANCISCO—Mark Templeton, a co-founder and former president at intellectual property supplier Artisan Components Inc., died last week in a kayaking accident. He was 57. According to published reports, Templeton drown July 17 after his inflatable kayak overturned on Oregon’s Rogue River. His body was recovered by the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department on July 21. Mark R. Templeton Templeton co-founded Artisan Components in 1991 after studying engineering at Boston University and working for years as a software engineer in the semiconductor industry. Under Templeton’s leadership, Artisan became one of the most significant suppliers of semiconductor IP and was acquired by ARM Holdings plc for $913 million in 2004. It remains ARM’s single largest acquisition. Following the acquisition of Artisan, Templeton worked for several years as ARM’s North American president and chief strategy officer. Templeton worked as a venture capitalist for the past several years. At the time of his death, he was managing director of Scientific Ventures, an investment and advisory firm. He also served on the boards of numerous technology companies and organizations. Templeton was described as an avid kayaker who traversed the Russian River, Lake Tahoe, various lakes around Bear Valley and the Pacuare River in Costa Rica. —Dylan McGrath covers the semiconductor industry for EE Times. Related content: