What is this DRIVEL?
driv-el (driv'el), n.,
1. saliva flowing from the mouth, or mucus in the nose; slaver. 2. childish, silly, or meaningless talk or thinking; nonsense; twaddle. --
eg: "Intel isn't using Bipolar technology in the Merced -
it's a CMOS process! That comment is about the dumbest
thing I've seen on this thread in weeks.
Well, I guess you just "one-upped" me Paul.
Exponential's designs exploit recent developments in a
semiconductor manufacturing technology called "BiCMOS".
The comany's BiCMOS design uses a well-established "bi-polar"
process, known for its ultra-fast speed, to form the core
logic of the processor. A more common "CMOS" process is used
for on-chip memory. With Exponential's design process,
bipolar transistors can be made much smaller and faster than
with other BiCMOS processes. Other processors, including
the Intel Pentium processors, use a BiCMOS process but build
their core logic from CMOS.
<http://wais.sensei.com.au/macarc/macway/1996/0001.html>
Note: Exponential was granted five U.S. patents for its design process, with three more allowed and several more pending.
From C-NET (Intel is an investor in C-NET):
<http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,13704,00.html?dtn.head>
The Exponential patents lay out a blueprint for a chip
that can understand both CISC and RISC instruction sets:
such a chip would allow a single computer to understand
programs written for both Intel and PowerPC computers,
respectively. Understanding both CISC and RISC is also
the goal of the Merced chip, the next-generation
processor being developed by Intel and Hewlett-Packard...
Exponential, however, filed for its various patents first,
giving those plans status as "prior art" over the
Merced patents, said Rich Belgard, a consultant with The
Microprocessor Report. As prior art, the Exponential
patents can supersede Intel's patents in the event that
the patents are similar or cover similar processes. Many
of the patents, Belgard added, are very similar.
February '98 news item, again from C-NET:
<http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,18791,00.html>
Graphics chipmaker S3 has purchased the patents of
defunct chipmaker Exponential Technology, CNET's
NEWS.COM has learned, a move that may presage S3's
shift into making complete microprocessors.
Sources inside and close to the company said that S3
purchased Exponential's portfolio of 45 patents, which
provide a key for building a 64-bit microprocessor that
can read both CISC and RISC instructions...
"Oh my god...That's all they need," said one
semiconductor executive.
Even if nothing is done with the Exponential patents,
however, analysts say they provide valuable leverage
against Intel.
Exponential filed for its various patents first,
however, giving those plans status as "prior art" over
the Merced patents. With this designation, the
Exponential patents can theoretically supersede
Intel's patents...
See also: "Patent auction could hurt Intel"
<http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,13021,00.html?st.ne.ni.rel>
Ian Bruce
New York, NY |
