MIPS of Mountain View, California, the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced microprocessors, is interested in coordinating a new standard for integrated computer systems with Galileo, MIPS product marketing manager Gideon Intreter told "Globes".
Intreter said MIPS’s aim was to establish a coalition of companies with advanced technologies which will provide a comprehensive solution on a single chip for integrated computer systems. "Galileo is currently developing chips connecting between our processors and peripheral components. MIPS intends to define platforms for consumer market of computer games, Internet converter boxes and television services, including silicon and software solutions.
MIPS was formerly a semiconductors division of computer company Silicon Graphics, and specializes in developing architectures for 32 and 64 bit RISC computers. In the summer of 1998, Silicon Graphics decided to base itself solely on Intel processors, and spun off its semiconductors division, which issued 15% of its shares on NASDAQ in June 1998. Today, 85% of the shares are held by Silicon Graphics, but the plan is to offer them for sale within the coming year.
The global market for integrated processors is assessed at 151 million units in 1998. MIPS has a market share of 48 million units.
The company operates from Mountain-View, California, and has a payroll of 100. Despite the fact that it does not have many dealings with Israel, two company executives are Israeli. Gideon Intreter, a former National Semiconductors employee, is in charge of product definition, and vice president for R&D Lavi Lev, is in charge of technological development at MIPS.
Published by Israel's Business Arena March 16, 1999