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Technology Stocks : IDTI - an IC Play on Growth Markets -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vijay Raghavan who wrote (8485)	5/24/1998 1:27:00 PM
From: Rob S.	Respond to of 11555

Very interesting article. Here is a link from that page: eetimes.com The uP market is certainly seeing a lot of different strategies. As an armchair quarterback, I like Glen Henry's approach; including the Northbridge logic will allow the system to use AGP/PCI and be assembled using BGA directly to the MB in a similar fashion to existing motherboards. And because the graphics technologies are changing and improving in performance at a very rapid pace, PC mfrs.. won't be tied down to the capability designed into an integrated uP+graphics chip. Designing in a new graphics engine every few months is a tremendous task. And because the graphics market is highly competitive, advanced 3D graphics chips sell for only $15 to $40 - a price point where it is difficult to greatly reduce costs through integration with the uP. The articles since the microprocessor forum have cleared up a lot of Centaur/IDT's road-map. They are entering the SOC game in their own way. The match up between VIA and IDTI is very interesting. The IDT+VIA relationship should allow VIA to leverage their uP and provides IDT with a key partner in the heartland of motherboard and PC manufacture. In a climate in which partnerships and alliances are common place and often yield few results, this could prove to be an exception. As far as new start-ups are concerned, any new entry will need to play to the standards. AMD/IDTI/Cyrix who will use AMD's 3D+Now enhancements have the support of Microsoft's Direct 3D APIs under WIN 98. Alternative entries must either convince MS to support their fledgling efforts, must adopt the existing standards or must target lower end performance levels. Creative minds at work. Glen Henry's approach makes great sense IF they can produce the parts in the planned quantities (2.5 to 4 million over 12 months) and gain support from MB mfrs.. The combining of NorthBridge+uP has a good chance to result in a low cost system that retains the flexibility of AGP plug'n play graphics support. This could be big, but still too early to tell. We have heard promises of increased production and improved bottom line performance before and investors are now skeptical of technical announcements.