MIPS licenses architecture to SandCraft

MIPS licenses architecture to SandCraft
By Michael Santarini, EE Times
October 29, 1999 (5:38 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19991028S0041

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — MIPS Technologies Inc. said Thursday (Oct. 28) that SandCraft Inc. has received a comprehensive intellectual property (IP) license to use the MIPS32 and MIPS64 processor architectures in its own processor designs.

The two companies said the agreement permits SandCraft to design customized 32-bit and 64-bit processors that are fully compatible with the MIPS architecture and enhanced by SandCraft's multimedia and 3D accelerated capabilities.

SandCraft will develop MIPS32 and MIPS64 MIPS-based cores for use in the high-performance multimedia and digital convergence devices, such as digital set-top boxes, PDAs and interactive gaming systems, officials said.

Norman Yeung, president and chief executive officer of SandCraft, said the company's positive design experience with the 64-bit MIPS IV instruction set architecture was a factor in the dec ision.