Embedded Processor Watch

Senior Editor: Tom Halfhill

In This Issue:

• Motorola Buys C-Port: Smart Move
• Industry Resources -- Prediction: Brake Fluid Will Evaporate
• Transmeta, PC Processors, and IA-64 at March 9 Event

Motorola Buys C-Port: Smart Move

By Tom R. Halfhill

By offering $430 million in stock for C-Port, a fabless network-processor startup, Motorola is acquiring a powerful NPU to complement its existing lines of communications chips. At the same time, the deal counters some recent incursions onto Motorola's turf by major rivals such as IBM and Intel. Overall, it's a smart move for Motorola.

C-Port's main product is the C-5, a high-end NPU for routers and other communications equipment (see Embedded Processor Watch #68, http://www.MDRonline.com/epw/issues/epw_68.html). Communications is core to Motorola's business strategy -- the company sells everything from cell phones and walkie-talkies to network-specific CPUs and DSPs. Motorola introduced its 68300-based QUICC (quad integrated communications controller) processors in 1989 and the PowerPC-based PowerQUICC line in 1995, so the company has more experience with network silicon than several startups put together. But a new breed of NPUs that are even more highly integrated has stolen the thunder from Motorola's chips in recent months. By scooping up the C-5, Motorola closes a gap that eager competitors were trying to exploit.

If one of our theories is true -- that corporate acquisitions, like celebrity deaths, tend to happen in threes -- then more buyouts of network-processor companies may be in the offing. Maybe the Motorola/C-Port deal will inspire a buying spree. (The full version of this article is available online to Microprocessor Report subscribers: http://www.MDRonline.com/mpr/h/2000/0306/141003.html).

Industry Resources -- Prediction: Brake Fluid Will Evaporate

Forward Concepts has published a new market-research report, "Automotive Chips 2000," which covers the worldwide automotive market for ICs through 2005. Among other things, the report discusses the future transition from hydraulic brakes to electromechanical "drive-by-wire" brakes, how a new 42-volt standard will replace 12-volt electrical systems, and the advent of multiplexed buses. The report predicts that the market for automotive semiconductors will grow at an annual rate of 8.8%, from $9.5 billion in 1998 to $17 billion in 2005.

The 114-page report has 45 figures and tables, and it costs $1,875. For more information, call 480.968.3759 or go to http://www.forwardconcepts.com/.

Transmeta, PC Processors, and IA-64 at March 9 Event

Microprocessor Report's next quarterly seminars and dinner meeting, to be held March 9 at the Westin Santa Clara, will feature seminars on PC processors and IA-64, as well as a dinner presentation by Transmeta CEO Dave Ditzel.

This dinner presentation provides a rare opportunity to hear directly from Transmeta's founder about the design tradeoffs in the Crusoe design, the innovations in the VLIW architecture and code morphing software, and how it may affect the future of the microprocessor industry.

Two seminars are offered concurrently. "Inside Today's PC Processors: Architectures, Microarchitectures, and Performance" will be presented by Keith Diefendorff, editor in chief of Microprocessor Report. This seminar gives an inside look at the microarchitectures, bus and cache architectures, and performance of the most important PC processors. This is our most technical seminar and is designed for attendees who want to understand the internal design differences in today's PC processors.

The second seminar, "Intel's Itanium and IA-64: Dawn of a New Era?," will be presented by Linley Gwennap, founder and principal analyst of The Linley Group. This seminar starts with the philosophy behind IA-64's EPIC technology and then moves into a description and evaluation of the complete instruction set. Linley explains the Itanium design, compares it with its RISC and x86 rivals, and projects the performance and pricing of Itanium -- as well as future IA-64 processors such as McKinley, Madison, and Deerfield.

Registration is $99 for the dinner presentation only, $795 for a seminar only, or $845 for one seminar and the dinner meeting. Register today on the Web at http://www.MDRonline.com/sve or call 800.527.0288. Advance registration is required.