Advanced Micro Devices has confirmed it has purchased Alchemy Semiconductor Corp., giving the traditional X86 microprocessor manufacturer a MIPS license and a foothold into the Internet-access device market.
AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif., did not disclose the amount paid for Alchemy, based in Austin, Tex. The purchase had been the subject of reports, but AMD denied comment at the time.
AMD has also not discussed product plans, although a press release issued by the company offers hints as to the companys direction. AMD officials were unavailable for comment at press time.
“Personal connectivity devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), web tablets, gateways and portable Internet access devices require increased performance and lower power consumption over current technology offerings to provide consumers the features associated with “next-generation” applications,” according to a statement released by AMD. “Alchemys MIPS32-based products are designed to address these types of market requirements.”
“Throughout its twenty-year history, the MIPS architecture has successfully scaled the entire spectrum of semiconductor designs,” said Dr. Billy Edwards, vice president and general manager of AMDs Personal Connectivity Solutions group, in a statement. “Alchemys MIPS-based solutions provide an excellent architecture for addressing the performance and power requirements of the emerging Internet access device market. We look forward to expanding upon these current offerings to become a leader in this high-growth market segment.”
