IMSLIB, IMS cell library, IMS IP, IMS technology, IMS proprietary design methodology and tools, Meta 3xxx, Meta 6xxx, Meta 7xxx, Bi-Frost, Java Chip, Espresso, Double Espresso, Speech Compression, MPEG-4, and many more forgotten catch-phrases previously used to portray IMS' road-map to success for both IMS and the investment community.
So what happened? What's left? What do you call it?
The much talked about IMSLIB, as described in previous advertisements on a web page that appears to be unavailable as of this morning, is a standard-cell library used by logic synthesis tools such as Synopsys and Ambit to realize arbitrary control and dataflow structures.
In complex processor chips such as the Pentium variants, other physical components in addition to a standard cell library are necessary. Components such as 32/64-bit adders, multipliers, floating-point units, MMX-enabled adders/multipliers/saturation-type logic, bus-controllers, register files, caches, ROM's, RAM's, PLA's, phase-lock loops (PLL), global clocking distribution and control, etc.
Since I missed the Lee & Phil show (it is difficult to find out what time the show started at the Federal Bankruptcy Court since it appears to be in IMS' interest to not advertise), I have no idea as to the value Lee & Phil has attached to the residual technology that IMS has developed/invested. As Frank pointed out, a lot of the engineers at the Austin Design Center were veterans from other companies. Thus it follows that the above components needed in a complex processor are/were designed by seasoned engineers (at other companies expense) that represent Nth generation know-how for the respective components, such as the compressors in the multiplier circuit or the dynamic control within the PLL's. That type of experience is not necessarily cheap nor easy to obtain in Austin's tight labor market, i.e., recent college undergraduates cannot easily achieve this!
So, is there a mis-representation as to the technological value that IMS has invested and developed so far at the bankruptcy hearings? I personally cannot comment since I wasn't at the show, but $500K for the aforementioned seems like another sweetheart deal for some lucky buyer.
Can somebody in the know please recap the current bankruptcy status and the next schedule time/date for the Lee & Phil show. I would like to catch a performance or two before it is all over. Thanks.
Larry
p.s. Sorry for being away for awhile. Between personal and business taxes, getting a small business up and going, and getting in some family time, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day. |
