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Google buys chip start-up from ex-Apple designers

36 points by jmillerinc 16y ago

fredoliveira 16y ago
The article mentions there not being any idea of what Google intends to do with the purchase, but at this point it seems relatively clear that although there are a number of applications, a focus on Android (phone and/or table) seems to be the big key here. Interesting move.
joegaudet 16y ago
I agree with the comments on the link, clearly these were ex semi PA employees who didnt want to work for apple, not apple employees that started a chip company. What they wilk do for google, provided the employees don't peel from google as well is speculative at best. But I'd doubt google bought it for the same reason as apple bought semi-pa. Google seems pretty adament on working qith existing handset providers.
- pavs 16y ago
  > But I'd doubt google bought it for the same reason as apple bought semi-pa. Google seems pretty adament on working qith existing handset providers. Apple made their first Phone with Motorola.[1] It is not easy to enter a hardware industry; more so if you have no prior experience with consumer hardware market (unlike Apple). I think its more likely that Google was testing the water with Nexus One to see how people will react to it and how the process of manufacturing phones work. If I remember correctly they worked closely with HTC and had quite a bit influence on how the final product will look like. Remember, they are also working on a slate device and a net-book device, which will debut sometime this year. While this acquisition might not have any direct relation to the Google hardware devices coming out this year. I think it is highly likely that they might start building their own devices with custom processors soon. 1. http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/07/the-motorola-rokr-e1-apple-itunes-phone/ http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/07/the-motorola-rokr-e1-appl...
nimrody 16y ago
Even if they do want to get into chip design (low power chips -- the area where PA semi excelled) they may expose themselves to patent suits if they directly compete with Apple in the handheld market. Not saying they cannot avoid it, but in that case they loose some of the expertise of these guys.
- hga 16y ago
  Why would a patent lawsuit directly affect these guys? It would be between the Apple and Google corporations, and absent an impossible temporary injunction (you can only get those by assuming the facts all fall in favor of the other side) while it was being litigated they and Google could continue their work. As it is, Apple has already shown its reluctance to sue Google WRT to Android by suing HTC; I suspect Google holds one or more patents that Apple wouldn't like to get enforced against it.
ableal 16y ago
Educated guess (back in February) that it could be about servers/network: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/david-manners-semiconductor-blog/2010/02/could-agnilux-be-making-arm-ba.html http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/david-manners-semicon... (If so, not unrelated: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1276510 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1276510 - seems there's interest in eating Cisco's lunch.)

36 points by jmillerinc 16y ago

The article mentions there not being any idea of what Google intends to do with the purchase, but at this point it seems relatively clear that although there are a number of applications, a focus on Android (phone and/or table) seems to be the big key here. Interesting move.

joegaudet 16y ago

I agree with the comments on the link, clearly these were ex semi PA employees who didnt want to work for apple, not apple employees that started a chip company. What they wilk do for google, provided the employees don't peel from google as well is speculative at best. But I'd doubt google bought it for the same reason as apple bought semi-pa. Google seems pretty adament on working qith existing handset providers.

pavs 16y ago
> But I'd doubt google bought it for the same reason as apple bought semi-pa. Google seems pretty adament on working qith existing handset providers. Apple made their first Phone with Motorola.[1] It is not easy to enter a hardware industry; more so if you have no prior experience with consumer hardware market (unlike Apple). I think its more likely that Google was testing the water with Nexus One to see how people will react to it and how the process of manufacturing phones work. If I remember correctly they worked closely with HTC and had quite a bit influence on how the final product will look like. Remember, they are also working on a slate device and a net-book device, which will debut sometime this year. While this acquisition might not have any direct relation to the Google hardware devices coming out this year. I think it is highly likely that they might start building their own devices with custom processors soon. 1. http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/07/the-motorola-rokr-e1-apple-itunes-phone/ http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/07/the-motorola-rokr-e1-appl...

nimrody 16y ago

Even if they do want to get into chip design (low power chips -- the area where PA semi excelled) they may expose themselves to patent suits if they directly compete with Apple in the handheld market. Not saying they cannot avoid it, but in that case they loose some of the expertise of these guys.

hga 16y ago
Why would a patent lawsuit directly affect these guys? It would be between the Apple and Google corporations, and absent an impossible temporary injunction (you can only get those by assuming the facts all fall in favor of the other side) while it was being litigated they and Google could continue their work. As it is, Apple has already shown its reluctance to sue Google WRT to Android by suing HTC; I suspect Google holds one or more patents that Apple wouldn't like to get enforced against it.

ableal 16y ago

Educated guess (back in February) that it could be about servers/network: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/david-manners-semiconductor-blog/2010/02/could-agnilux-be-making-arm-ba.html http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/david-manners-semicon... (If so, not unrelated: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1276510 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1276510 - seems there's interest in eating Cisco's lunch.)