Mark,
The clues are here:
Mission Statement
"Log Point intends to become a dominant company in embedded computation by making high performance exponential floating point an industry standard."
Note this from the WIND thread:
www2.techstocks.com
and
www2.techstocks.com
Although these primarily discuss MSFT's CE as competition for WIND, they contain very well-considered ideas pertinent here:
"The key to understanding tidal forces causing primary waves in the computer industry is to look objectively at sources of control in prior waves, and to extend trends already evident in the beginnings of the next wave, in this case hidden computing. Recall the first two primary waves of computer processing, represented respectively by the mainframe and PC paradigms. The mainframe/minicomputer wave peaked at the end of the seventies, while the PC paradigm currently is in full flower. The biggest wave yet, the third wave has barely begun, and consists of hidden computers, the realm of embedded systems. This is all old hat on this thread, ...
The fact that embedded processors are, and will remain, commodities does not mean hardware platforms will not contain Intellectual Property (IP). There is a whole new meaning emerging for IP in hardware, but it is occurring at a lower level than the processor as a whole. Its called Semiconductor IP (SIP), and it consists of so-called hard or soft cores needed to define modules used in complex chips. Companies like Rambus own the IP needed to do something special on a chip. Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) provides a CPU core used by a number of semiconductor companies, two of which have announced I2O chips based on ARM processors. Even IBM will help customize a system-on-a-chip with modules of your choice coupled with a PowerPC CPU core. SIP companies license the module, conceivably at various design levels (hard, soft, firm, etc.), to semiconductor companies. Should the proprietary core become a de facto standard, the company stands to reap huge rewards through royalties.
Now think about it. First wave monopoly power IP consisted of the total package of all hardware and enabling software, operating system and utilities. By the second wave, IP bifurcated into hardware and software, but each formed around a smaller "tollgate" portion of the applicable domain: the microprocessor for hardware and the entire OS for software. Simplicity needed to fuel a mass market dictated near universal subordination to these symbiotic tollgates. (Microsoft extending its monopoly in office application software by using economies of scale and "tying", the latter probably legal but upsetting to the DOJ and others.)
It is evident that hardware IP in third wave will evolve at the sub-processor level, to so-called cores generally provided by SIP companies like Rambus, not semiconductor companies themselves. Further, the variety of hardware components should continue to expand rapidly, adding complexity to hardware design but justified by ever-decreasing unit costs of product production. Lower size and costs coupled with increased capabilities is a formula for exploding functional requirements, ....
Mark
Embeded Software Engineer
Not yet a share holder
Not affiliated with the company in any way
This is not a solicitation or recommendation to buy this stock. Everyone must do their own DD and be responsible for their own decisions. |
