Jester,
Your observation, while a point of consideration, is entirely PC centered. You are only thinking in terms of Wintel personal computers and floating point application. The response to this is two fold:
1. The main application for this technology would not be, at least in the near term, in the personal computer. The reason is that which you have already pointed out. Intel CPU's already have fp units built in. This might be modified by the observation that fp units on CPU's take up large amounts silicon real estate and are continuous sources of concern in CPU design. fp performance is often a point of boasting - see for example Pentium vs. Power PC. This technology, if it is in every other way satisfactory, would permit fp units to become smaller and faster also at the hardware level. So a Pentium could, theoretically, implement this type of fp and be cheaper to produce and be much faster in fp performance. However, this seems unlikely to happen, because of precedent. Floating point numbers are already represented in hardware and software in a known given way - Unlikely to change in any near term time period.
2. The main application for this technology is in the embedded and emerging digital/video processing markets. See my earlier posts on the embedded market, the so-called third wave of computing. Already our cars, our tv's etc. all have microprocessors. We are just beginning the move of basic communications services (land mobile, cellular, PCS, soon TV, broadcast radio) to digital, further, all types of appliances and devices etc. are being filled with microprocessors, as well as the emerging hand held PC/PC like personal devices. All of these areas will soon have the embedded market selling more units of CPU's than the desktop/server market and almost none of it is Wintel based. Notice Microsoft's recent efforts to push Windows CE into the embedded world - Notice Logpoints dealings with Microsoft and CE. This world is not bound to Intel's processors, in fact is filled with many different processors - few have any floating point units on board because this world is driven by low price much more so than the desktop.
It has been argued that fp is a niche. After all, we have digital cellular etc. now without this technology. This is a point. But I believe that this technology's time is just now becoming. Representing natural analog phenomenon (voice, video, force etc.) often requires various mathematical analysis, representation, filtering, calculation. It is this emerging world that would need and drive acceptance of this technology. And Logpoint is positioned to benefit greatly, assuming the patents really protect them and can keep the big-boys from simply copying the idea.
Notice, the company has already stated (Jan 29) that there is a big company they believe has already stolen their ideas. They intend to defend their IP. Time will tell.
Mark N. |
