adamxentcom adam rifkin fact caltech says actually spun number startups 2001 poor time needless say new ventures boom year 1999 oookaaaay httpwwwfulcrummicrocompressarticle_eetimes_050802shtml iconoclast designers choose mips anthony cataldo may 28 2002 san jose calif group engineers calabasas hills ca wants turn microprocessor world head unthinkable tossing clock letting signals move unencumbered designers inspired research conducted nearby caltech clocks wimps fulcrum microsystems inc design team isnt first propose asynchronous processor president chief executive officer robert nunn wants first take clockless firebreathing processor mainstream really deal asynchronous world said make synchronous convenience kind stuff many processor industry would consider lunatic fringe weird conservative embeddedsystems designers young processor company dozen others like anchored mainstream courtesy mips instructionset architecture mips becoming choice maverick processor design teams seeking place high end fielding unorthodox devices motorola ibm powerpc camp arent careful could see performance leadership highend embeddedprocessor market snatched away upstarts austin texas meanwhile designers another mips house intrinsity inc arent prepared ditch clock putting new spin old tricks giving gate clock letting overlap using sleight hand company hopes soon deliver riscbased processors run eyepopping 2 ghz consume 10 15 watts fulcrum intrinsity brethren may written interesting experiments backed venture capitalists overlooked finer details like software compatibility lends respectability mips asking one reason young processor companies seem flocking platform steward mips technologies inc qualms licensing instructionset architecture isa provided licensee agrees meet softwarecompatibility test suite contrast processorcore rival arm ltd granted privilege two many licensees intel motorola far two powerpc vendors ibm corp motorola inc rebuffed requests license architecture notable exception fpga vendor xilinx inc licensed 405 powerpc ibm mips isa also one simplest forms reducedinstructionset computing around tends make attractive processor designers interested extending architecture wide availability tools software drew intrinsity mips even though company aiming powerpc sockets evidenced decision adopt rapidio interface instead hypertransport favored mips vendors good fit nice clean architecture open model allows us add instructions said paul nixon chief executive officer intrinsity also get thirdparty tools easily fit base platforms time openness seen liability mips mid1990s mips spun silicon graphics inc instruction set lacked multiplyadd instruction mips vendors took upon create problem broke many development tools causing headaches compiler vendors like green hills software inc went mips said 20 different compiler variants embarrassing said craig franklin vice president engineering green hills respected microprocessor industry veteran franklin also wasnt shy telling mips needed revamp embedded application binary interface went mips said weve done dozen eabis lets clean said mips took advice wasted little time clamping architectural deviations observers said mips camp still live legacy incompatible chips field credit mips quickly caught said jim turley microprocessor industry analyst going forward mips maintaining good control still haunted incompatibility among multiples biggest risk mips camp fragmentation powerpc camp opposite problem architectural confinement though powerpc architecture carries cachet household names motorola ibm essentially two companies provide powerpcs lack interest rather companies reluctant cede control architecture could wind hurting powerpc cause though get powerpc license impossible expensive green hills franklin said tactically may mistake youre japanese company things equal youd rather buy another japanese company analyst turley thinks powerpc camp stand gain licensing architecture software compatibility tool support proliferate architecture better youre going said dont think motorola ibm address entire market theres chance could change ibm part process planning expansion strategy powerpc may involve licensing though unlikely powerpc camp ever open licensing model mips technologies mips processor vendors may two competitors worry certainly averse licensing said lisa su director powerpc products ibm question much license various ways could go whether hard core soft core licensing isa fear architectural fragmentation still looms large know different microarchitectures work software compatibility su said mips theres degree fracturing may always big problem go markets like consumer becomes big belief happy medium whatever path ibm takes act best interest chip provider company wants hawk intellectual property xilinx licensing deal works ibm big blue much interested royalties fees collects xilinx dual benefit widening appeal architecture revenue ibm generates manufacturing fpgas xilinx fabs trying make money licensing su said manufacturing probably one powerful weapons powerpc vendors ibm motorola wield gussied highend lines copper interconnect silicononinsulator technology still rarities among chip makers helped companies design relatively lowpower embedded processors running 1 ghz shipping today ibm using 013micron design rules fourstage pipeline motorola using 018micron design rules sevenstage pipe companies say theres performance headroom store get 013 micron well get substantially faster said raj handa powerpc powerquicc marketing manager motorola proprietary processes mips processor vendors contrast rely mainstream foundries havent developed moreexotic process technologies even though companies like motorola shifting capacity outside foundries theyre keeping special process recipes inhouse juice highperformance devices lacking capability mips processor vendors little choice come dazzling architectural feats keep chops high end become clear next year newer players measure intrinsity hopes field 2ghz processors end year fulcrum shooting early 2003 introduction going shock industry terms raw performance speedvspower performance fulcrums nunn said really want change way world designs semiconductors httpwwwfulcrummicrocompressarticle_fastco_0402shtml pasadena startup machine alison overholt april 2002 time every dorm room seemed startup waiting happen throughout 1990s kids cobbled together business plans classes funding jumped business risk risk plunging new venture seemed easy ah fickleness youth days kids back class venture capitalists say theyre seeing precious proposals mit stanford almost every university save one california institute technology fact caltech says actually spun number startups 2001 poor time needless say new ventures boom year 1999 startup enthusiasm faded campuses caltech blossomed robust newcompany machine didnt happen accident past seven years caltechs office technology transfer carefully developed strategy cultivating commerce focus nurturing entrepreneurs scientifically schools says rich wolfe offices associate director university focuses science ensuing commercial opportunity thats grabbed uri cummings andrew lines two phd students caltech founded fulcrum microsystems 2000 pervasive philosophy caltech problem unsolvable cummings says theres focus scientific ingenuity thrilling around caltech many entrepreneurs school doesnt make business focus much money theyll get caltech catalyst moving technology university industry students thrilled part starting fulcrum cummings lines worked six years caltech computerscience professor alain martin asynchronouscircuit design semiconductor chips ventured commercialization still throes doctoral program could afford points another practical aspect caltechs approach universities typically require entrepreneurs pay upfront application licensing fees use technology patents caltech believes payments stifle entrepreneurship since young companies usually little cash spare instead school typically takes equity stakes startups defers collection patent payments fledgling companies financially secure caltech longterm bet reality universities rely far endowments could fees collected initial licensing process wolfe says seek bite apple hope one entrepreneurs founds next intel hell share equity also bestow gift university remembrance took care getting started cummings lines may position fulcrum 20 million venture funding amid toughest venture market recent history founders hired credible ceo bob nunn formerly ran vitesses telecom division hired 24 top students alma mater theyve garnered rave reviews chip design technology journals one thing cummings lines havent done yet finished degrees officially leave may back adamxentcom hightech startups fail three reasons stupidity luck greed tip one wouldbe entrepreneurs avoid stupid unlucky people stupid bad luck dont start hightech business tip two wouldbe entrepreneurs product want one want startup founders generally ideas charisma equity work ideas charisma cheap equity expensive make startup work founder divvy parts business right rate keep everyone happy product success give away much company soon venture capitalist coworkers even risk running distributable shares product done probably means product wont done ever tip three wouldbe entrepreneurs dont take venture funding soon software product dont take venture money need introduce product dont take venture money used money motherinlaws money everything borrow bootstrap rent dont buy dont hire people things contract contractors dont require stock options founder man woman grand plan function manage distribution holdings end fewer shares wealth tip four wouldbe entrepreneurs invite lunch im cheap date robert x cringely httpwwwpbsorgcringelypulpitpulpit20010614html httpxentcommailmanlistinfofork mon 22 jul 2002 220649 0700 pdt ee times iconoclast designers choose mips