back to article Apple borgs (alleged) iPad chip designers

Apple has consumed at least part of Intrinsity, a small microprocessor outfit that allegedly designed the chip at the heart of the iPad, according to a report citing the LinkedIn profiles of multiple Intrinsity employees. Last week, EDN reported that Intrinsity had been sold, and guessed that Apple was the buyer. Then on …

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  1. Goat Jam
    Coat

    That's gotta hurt

    "But industry rumor indicates that many PA employees - including those who once ran the company - have left following Apple's takeover."

    So, apple buys a semi-conductor company to design their future chips. Unfortunately, the "purchased" staff promptly quit, leaving apple to buy their semis from another chip designer who they then go and purchase as well.

    So, how long before the intrinsity engineers pull up stumps too?

    Maybe they could get together with the PA Semi guys and form a new startup. I hear apple will be looking for someone to design their next generation of chips soon . . . .

    1. paulf
      Pirate

      Semi take overs

      This is exactly why (AFAIK) take overs/mergers in the Semi world don't happen that often, and hostile take overs are very rare. You might buy the company but if the bods there don't welcome their new overloads they walk, taking with them all the know-how and potentially setting up shop over the road with that know-how (depending on their contracts).

      This leaves the new owner, having paid a nice take over premium, with a mostly empty building, fixtures/fittings/computers and IP/Patents but with no one who knows properly how the IP works such that the most can be made of it and development can continue.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      RE: That's gotta hurt

      Erm, no that's probably normal.

      Buy a small start-up and all the investors (employees) will take the cash you've just paid and retire...

  2. Charles Manning

    re: That's gotta hurt

    It depends what they bought PA for. Did they just want some IP or did they want all the bodies too? Likely Apple only wanted some of the bodies.

    PA Semi built a wide range of parts, including military stuff which Apple likely has little interest in. Undoubtedly being part of a business unit not aligned to Apple's future would make you feel rather worried and frustrated. Perhaps the employees that left had nothing to do with producing chips for Apple and left to joiun some other military chip outffit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      exactly...

      >It depends what they bought PA for. Did they just want some IP or did they want all the bodies too?

      For the IP, that's tech which can be milked for the next few years - Apple buys in its innovation it doesn't create it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: exactly...

        "Apple buys in its innovation it doesn't create it."

        You man in the same way Microsoft, Google and everyone else does?

  3. Popup

    Agnilux

    Keep an eye out for Agnilux!

    That's where many of the ax-PASemi guys are going.

    For now they're pretty silent, but my guess is that they're onto something interesting. (Or maybe they're just quietly leaking to set the rumours going, so that they can sell to someone else?)

  4. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
    Paris Hilton

    I always wondered...

    why Apple bought PA semi... I mean at this stage they'd flipped sides over to intel... PA Semi at this time was predominantly a ppc shop I understand...

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