Spends $278 Million On PowerPC Chip FactoryCupertino, CA (eCanadaNow) - In a move that is puzzling to some people in the Industry, the Apple Computer Inc. company moved to purchase the PA Semiconductor Company, makers of a low cost, high power PowerPc Computer chip.
Some in industry circles believe this is indicative of the future direction of the parent to iPhone and iPods, and their intent to broaden their footprint in the marketplace. Others see it as an interesting marketing choice, given the state of the current semiconductor and computer markets as a whole.
“Sometimes we at Apple purchase smaller companies, and we don’t normally comment on our plans or purposes,” said Steve Dowling, Apple Company Spokesman.
The PA Semiconductor is a license holder of the Power Pc Instruction set from IBM, the chips that PA Semi manufacture are therefore usable with the current PC power chips. The best known of the PA Semi products is the chip that was launched last year, the PWRficient chip.
At its initial launch in 2007, PA Semiconductor was claiming that it was a chip that performed at a level 3 or 4 times the typical chip performance level for similar levels of energy consumed.
