Transmeta lands NEC
Startup chip maker wins Japanese notebook maker as latest customer
October 17, 2000: 12:05 a.m. ET
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Transmeta Corp., a Silicon Valley startup that has been making a lot of waves in the personal computing industry since it unveiled its "Crusoe" microprocessor early this year, has won the support of another major player.
This time it's NEC Corp. (NIPNY: Research, Estimates), Japan's largest supplier of notebook computers. The company unveiled its latest ultralight notebook at a PC trade show in Japan Tuesday, called the LaVie MX, which is powered by a Crusoe processor operating at 600 megahertz.
"NEC is very impressed with the battery life and performance capabilities provided by Crusoe," Osamu Iseki, manager of product planning for NEC's mobile solutions division. "The LaVie MX will give consumers an exceptional mobile computing experience."
The LaVie MX weighs three pounds and will operate up to 11 hours on battery power, the company said.
With NEC, Transmeta now lists the top four notebook computer makers in Japan on its roster of customers. In addition to NEC, Sony, Fujitsu and Hitachi all have either already introduced or are planning to release Crusoe-based ultralight notebooks over the next several months. IBM will also use the chip in its notebooks.
Gateway also said it will use Crusoe processors to power the Internet access devices it is developing in partnership with America Online, expected to hit the market later this year.
Since the company took the wraps off Crusoe last January, they have gained increased acceptance by makers of ultralight notebook computers and Internet access devices. The chips are designed to provide high-performance while using low power.
Though industry leader Intel offers notebook processors with similar power and performance characteristics, Transmeta's Crusoe processors differ from their competitors in the way they achieve it.
The Crusoe chips are designed with a patented technique the company calls "code morphing," meaning they use software to translate the instructions typically handled directly by the transistors on other chips. That allows them to adjust the amount of power they consume for specific tasks, which Transmeta says enables them to use less power and run cooler than similar processors.
Intel's competing products offer similar power-consumption features through a technology it calls "SpeedStep," which enables them to operate at lower speeds when the computer is running on battery power and higher speeds when plugged in.
While Santa Clara, Calif.-based Transmeta claims its Crusoe processors consume less power than competing products, so far, there has been no independent benchmark testing of them. That's because the company says current industry benchmark tests are not compatible with Crusoe's unique design and would not provide a fair comparison.
Earlier this month, Transmeta set the terms for its initial public offering, which had been tentatively set to hit the market this month but has been pushed back until the first week of November.
The company plans to sell 13 million common shares priced in a range between $11 and $13 per share. When the IPO is complete, Transmeta will have more than 126 million common shares outstanding, according to documents the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Founded in 1995 through venture capital, Transmeta has also received financial backing from several technology companies including Gateway, AOL, Compal Electronics, Compaq, First International Computer, Phoenix Technologies, Samsung, Sony and Quanta Computer.
The company is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "TMTA."
stories
Transmeta sets IPO terms - Oct. 2, 2000
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Transmeta scores again - Sep. 25, 2000
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Transmeta makes a splash - Jun. 27, 2000
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Transmeta lands first big order - May 30, 2000
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