Conexant Systems is rounding out its communications portfolio with its purchase of Maker Communications, a manufacturer of programmable high-performance network processors, software solutions, and development tools. The combination will create the industry's broadest portfolio of network processor and physical layer semiconductor products for the Internet infrastructure. The acquisition extends Conexant's network-access product portfolio into high-value, software-intensive, protocol-processing applications.
C Level Design Inc. and Easics NV recently entered into a technology partnership and product-development agreement to create a system-level design environment that will include tools, a methodology, and services. This environment, which will be based on the Native ANSI C/C++ languages and System C++ class library, aims to let designers model, synthesize, and simulate hardware and software at a higher level of abstraction than is currently possible.
To address the needs of the 3D graphics marketplace, Aristo Technology Inc. has partnered with ATI Technologies Inc. Their main objective is to develop a block-based design methodology capable of increasing productivity as well as accelerating design convergence for graphics chips. Designers using this methodology will ultimately experience faster time-to-market cycles.
Mentor Graphics has agreed to transfer its physical library business assets to Virage Logic. This should give Virage a major boost in the extended memories area by providing access to Mentor's technology and people to support it. As a result, designers now can go to one central location to meet all of their memory needs.
Avant! recently announced plans to acquire Analogy Inc. at a price of $24 million. This move significantly extends the company's presence in the analog/mixed-signal (A/MS) design arena by adding a host of tools and technology pertaining to mixed-signal simulation, design, and analysis to its already robust A/MS simulation product offerings. For designers, this translates into a more complete and automated A/MS design flow.
Eastman Kodak Company and Panasonic Disc Services Corp. have formed a new venture called Matsushita Media Manufacturing LLC of America. This new organization will manufacture and supply optical media products to both parent companies. Each company will contribute financial assets as well as intellectual property and technical expertise. Additionally, Kodak will include its optical disk manufacturing operations in Youghal, Ireland, and Guadalajara, Mexico. The alliance should enable the companies to obtain a larger portion of the world market for DVD and CD-ROM products, while helping them develop new uses for these media.
Rainbow Display Inc. and Philips Flat Panel Display Systems have agreed to jointly develop large diagonal (36-in. and greater) flat-panel displays. Rainbow Display will supply its tiling technology, which enables the assembly of small individual AMLCD panels into a single large display with no visible seams. Philips will provide the manufacturing and marketing power needed to commercialize tiled AMLCDs. Because the tiling approach relies heavily on existing display technology and infrastructure, it offers potential advantages in time-to-market and price-versus-performance over other technologies like plasma displays.
Qualcomm Inc. announced that Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. has selected its sixth-generation MSM3100 CDMA chipset and system software for its next-generation handsets. Sanyo selected Qualcomm to support IS-95B with data rates up to 86.4 Kbits/s, and with integration that enables a 50% reduction in handset size. The two companies continue to work together on a number of leading-edge handset-development projects, including future global roaming handsets to be supported by cdmaOne operators worldwide.
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