MIPS Technologies

MIPS Technologies, Inc.
Type Public: (NASDAQ: MIPS)
Industry RISC microprocessors
Founded 1984
Headquarters Sunnyvale, California, United States
Key people Sandeep Vij
Products Processor IP
Employees 146 (September 2010)
Website mips.com

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQMIPS), formerly MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., is a semiconductor design company that is most widely known for developing the MIPS architecture and a series of RISC CPU chips.[1][2] MIPS provides processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications.[3][4]

MIPS Computer Systems Inc. was founded in 1984[5][6] by a group of researchers from Stanford University that included John L. Hennessy, as a vendor of microprocessor chips.[7]

In 1988, MIPS Computer Systems designs were noticed by Silicon Graphics (SGI) and the company adopted the MIPS architecture for its computers.[8] A year later, in December 1989, MIPS held its first IPO (after which it was acquired by Silicon Graphics (SGI), later spun off, then IPOed again in 1998).[9]

After developing the R2000 and R3000 microprocessors, a management change brought along the larger dreams of being a computer vendor. The company found itself unable to compete in the computer market against much larger companies and was struggling to support the costs of developing both the chips and the systems (MIPS Magnum). To secure the supply of future generations of MIPS microprocessors (the 64-bit R4000), SGI acquired the company in 1992[10] for $333 million[11][12] and re-named it as MIPS Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SGI.[13]

During SGI's ownership of MIPS, the company introduced the R8000 in 1994 and the R10000[14] in 1996 and a follow up the R12000 in 1997.[15] During this time, two future microprocessors code-named The Beast and Capitan were in development; these were cancelled after SGI decided to migrate to the Itanium architecture[16] in 1998.[17][11] As a result, MIPS was spun out as an intellectual property licensing company, offering licences to the MIPS architecture as well as microprocessor core designs.

On June 30, 1998, MIPS held an IPO after raising about $16.3 million with an offering price of $14 dollars a share.[18][8] In 1999, SGI announced it would overhaul its operations; it planned to continue introducing new MIPS processors until 2002, but its server business would include Intel’s processor architectures as well.[19] SGI spun MIPS out completely on June 20, 2000 by distributing all its interest as stock dividend to the stockholders.

Some notable people who worked in MIPS: David Hitz[20], Joseph DiNucci[21], James Billmaier[22], Steve Blank[23], Dan Levin[24], Bob Miller[25], Skip Stritter[26], John L. Hennessy[27], John Mashey[28], John P. McCaskey, Stratton Sclavos[29]. Board members included: Bill Davidow.

In 2010, Sandeep Vij was named CEO of MIPS Technologies.[30] Vij studied under Dr. John Hennessy as a Stanford University grad student.[30] Prior to taking over at MIPS, Vij was an executive at Cavium Networks,[30] Xilinx and Altera[31].

In addition to its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California[32], MIPS has development facilities in Shanghai, China and Beaverton, Oregon[33]. It also has offices in Hsin-chu, Taiwan; Tokyo, Japan; Remscheid, Germany and Haifa, Israel.[34]

Contents

Technology

MIPS Technologies’ processor architectures and cores are used in home entertainment[35], networking [36] and communications products. The company licenses its 32- and 64-bit architectures as well as 32-bit cores.[37]

The MIPS32 architecture is a high-performance 32-bit instruction set architecture (ISA) that is used in applications such as 32-bit microcontrollers, home entertainment, home networking devices and mobile designs[38]. MIPS customers license the architecture to develop their own processors or license off-the-shelf cores from MIPS that are based on the architecture. [39]

The MIPS32 cores include the 4K, M14K[38], 24K[40], 34K[41], 74K[42], 1004K[43] (multicore and multithreaded) and the 1074K (superscalar and multithreaded) families.

The MIPS64 architecture is a high performance 64-bit instruction set architecture that is widely used in networking infrastructure equipment through MIPS licensees such as Cavium Networks[44] and NetLogic Microsystems[45].

SmartCE (Connected Entertainment) is a reference platform that integrates Android, Adobe Flash platform for TV, Skype, the Home Jinni ConnecTV application and other applications.[46][47] SmartCE lets OEM customers create integrated products more quickly.

Operating Systems

MIPS Technologies is predominately used in conjunction with Android and Linux operating systems.[48]

Android: Google’s Android operating system that is processor-agnostic[49], is built on the Linux kernel[50]. MIPS originally ported Android to its architecture for embedded products beyond the mobile handset, where it was originally targeted by Google.[51] In 2010, MIPS and its licensee Sigma Designs announced the world’s first Android set-top boxes[52]. By porting to Android, MIPS processors power smartphones and tablets running on the operating system.[53]

Real-time operating systems that run on MIPS include CMX System, eCosCentric[54], ENEA[55], Express Logic[56], FreeRTOS, Green Hills Software, LynuxWorks, Mentor Graphics, Micrium, QNX Software Systems, Quadros Systems Inc., Segger and Wind River.

Licensees and Products

MIPS Technologies creates the processor architecture that is licensed to chip makers.[57][58] The company has 125+ licensees who ship more than 500 million MIPS-based processors each year.[59]

MIPS Technologies has a strong customer licensee base in home electronics; 75 percent of Blu-ray Disc players are running on MIPS Technologies processors.[60] In the digital home, the company’s processors are predominately found in digital TVs and set-top boxes.[46]

Within the networking segment, licensees include Cavium Networks and Netlogic Microsystems.[36] Cavium has used up to 16 MIPS cores for its OCTEON family network reference designs.[61] Netlogic ships Linux-ready MIPS64-based XLP, XLR, and XLS multicore, multithreaded processors.[62] Licensees using MIPS to build smartphones and tablets include Actions Semiconductor and Ingenic Semiconductor.[63] Tablets based on MIPS include the Cruz tablets from Velocity Micro.[64] TCL Corporation is using MIPS processors for the development of smartphones.[65]

Other licensees include Broadcom, which has developed MIPS-based CPUs for over a decade[66], Microchip Technology, which leverages MIPS processors for its 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers[67], and Mobileye, whose EyeQ2 and EyeQ3 are based on cores licensed from MIPS.[68]

Company timeline

References

  1. ^ John Gantz (October 14, 1991), MIPS will have a tough time in a crowded market, InfoWorld, p. 137.
  2. ^ Computer History Museum. “John Hennessy: 2007 Fellow Awards Recipient.” 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  3. ^ Agam Shah, IDG. "MIPS Porting Google’s Android 3.0 OS for Its Processors." April 26, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  4. ^ Sam Dean, Ostatic. "MIPS Advances its Android Plans – Outside of Phones." August 3, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  5. ^ CrunchBase. "MIPS Computer Systems." Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. ^ Junko Yoshida, EE Times. "New CEO Sandeep Vij forms ‘Team MIPS’." February 7, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  7. ^ James DeTar, Investors Business Daily. "Panel: Information Technology Still Early Stage." October 6, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Om Malik, Forbes. "Can MIPS beat ARM?." December 2, 1998. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  9. ^ Crag Bicknell, WIRED. "MIPS Slips in IPO." July 1, 1998. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  10. ^ PC Magazine. "SGI." Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Computer History Museum. "Silicon Graphics Professional IRIS 4D/50GT." Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  12. ^ Cate Corcoran (March 16, 1992), MIPS, Silicon merger could kill ACE/ARC, InfoWorld, pp. 1 and 107. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  13. ^ Cate Corcoran (March 16, 1992), MIPS, Silicon merger could kill ACE/ARC, InfoWorld, p. 107. Retrieved Sep 19, 2011.
  14. ^ Linley Gwenapp, Microprocessor Report. "MIPS R10000 Uses Decoupled Architecture." Vol. 8, No. 14, October 24, 1994. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  15. ^ Linley Gwenapp, Microprocessor Report. "MIPS R12000 to Hit 300 MHz." Vol. 11, No. 13, October 6, 1997. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  16. ^ Stephen Shankland, ZDNet. "Itanium: A cautionary tale." December 7, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  17. ^ Michael Kanellos and Dawn Kawamoto, CNET. "Silicon Graphics scraps MIPS plans." April 9, 1998. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  18. ^ Debora Vrana, Los Angeles Times. "June IPOs Were Not so Hot, but Summer Is Still Young." July 6, 1998. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  19. ^ Margaret Quan, EE Times. "SGI to shed Cray, shift OS focus to Linux." August 10, 1999. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  20. ^ Joe Kovar, CRN. "2010 Storage Superstars." June 21, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  21. ^ VentureBeat Profiles. "Joe DiNucci." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  22. ^ VentureBeat Profiles. "Jim Billmaier." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  23. ^ UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. "Steve G. Blank." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  24. ^ BusinessWeek Profiles. "Dan Levin." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  25. ^ Computer History Museum. "Bob Miller." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  26. ^ Computer History Museum. "Skip Stritter." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  27. ^ IEEE Computer Society. "John L. Hennessy: 2001 Eckert-Mauchly Award Recipient." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  28. ^ Computer History Museum. "John Mashey." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  29. ^ Forbes. "Stratton D. Sclavos." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  30. ^ a b c Junko Yoshida, EE Times. "New CEO Sandeep Vij forms ‘Team MIPS’." February 7, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  31. ^ Peter Clarke, EE Times. "MIPS Appoints Former Cavium Exec as CEO MIPS." January 25, 2010. Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  32. ^ Hoovers. "MIPS Technologies." Retrieved Sep 20, 2011.
  33. ^ Colleen Taylor, EDN. "MIPS plans HQ in Silicon Forest." March 13, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  34. ^ Company Press Release. “Synopsys Acquires Analog Business Group of MIPS Technologies.” May 8, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  35. ^ Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat. "MIPS bets big on Google Android systems for the digital home." January 5, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  36. ^ a b Junko Yoshida, EE Times. “‘Blow-out quarter’ highlights MIPS comeback.” August 5, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  37. ^ John Spooner, CNET. “MIPS nips new licenses for chips.” April 12, 2001. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  38. ^ a b obert Cravotta, Embedded Insights. “M14K.” Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  39. ^ Zewde Yeraswork, CRN. “MIPS Prepares 64-Bit Prodigy CPU Core Architecture.” March 29, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  40. ^ Robert Cravotta, Embedded Insights. “24K.” Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  41. ^ Robert Cravotta, Embedded Insights. “34K.” Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  42. ^ Robert Cravotta, Embedded Insights. “74K.” Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  43. ^ Robert Cravotta, Embedded Insights. “1004K.” Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  44. ^ Doug Mohney, The Inquirer. “Cavium Hotrods MIPS architecture.” June 25, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  45. ^ Eric Brown, LinuxForDevices. “Enea, NetLogic ship Linux development platform for MIPS.” September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  46. ^ a b Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat. “MIPS aims to drive into consumer electronics gear.”January 5, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  47. ^ Janko Roettgers, GigaOm. “Next Up for Android: Your Cable Box?.” January 5, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  48. ^ Dave Rosenberg, CNET. “The big guns of Linux kernel development.” August 21, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  49. ^ Brian Caufield, Forbes. “For MIPS, Less is More.” April 20, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  50. ^ Ryan Paul, Ars Technica. “MIPS Android port arrives, aimed at the digital home.” August 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  51. ^ Owen Fletcher, PC World. “MIPS Ports Android, Shows Embedded Gadgets,” June 3, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  52. ^ Raphael Savina, AndroidGuys. “CES 2010: First Android Set Top Boxes.” January 6, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  53. ^ Dusan Belic, IntoMobile.com. “MIPS porting Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform”. April 29, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  54. ^ Colin Holland, EE Times Europe. “eCosPro developer's kit for microMIPS.” May 16, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  55. ^ Eric Brown, LinuxForDevices. “Enea, NetLogic ship Linux development platform for MIPS.” September 20, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  56. ^ Edward Lamie, EE Times. “Real-Time Embedded Multithreading: Using ThreadX and MIPS.” February 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  57. ^ Agam Shah, IDG. “MIPS Porting Google’s Android 3.0 OS for Its Processors.” April 26, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  58. ^ Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat. “MIPS breaks into Android mobile phones with latest chips.” January 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  59. ^ Brian Caufield, Forbes. “For MIPS, Less is More.” April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  60. ^ Owen Fletcher, PC World. “MIPS Ports Android, Shows Embedded Gadgets,” June 3, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  61. ^ Doug Mohney, The Inquirer. “Cavium Hotrods MIPS architecture.” June 25, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  62. ^ Eric Brown, LinuxForDevices. “Enea, NetLogic ship Linux development platform for MIPS.” September 20, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  63. ^ Brian Caufield, Forbes. “CES: MIPS Inside.” January 6, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  64. ^ Junko Yoshida, EE Times. “China Link Helps MIPS Go Mobile.” January 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  65. ^ Mads Olholm, SemmiAccurate. “Tablets to Benefit from 3 New Chinese MIPS Cores.” June 2, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  66. ^ Linley Gwennap, EE Times. “Broadcom reveals CPU development.” November 23, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  67. ^ Jim Turley, Electronic Engineering Journal. “Kicking the CAN with Microchip MIPS.” November 24, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  68. ^ Peter Clarke, EE Times. “Mobileye silicon: A clarification.” August 19, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  69. ^ John Hennessy
  70. ^ TheLinuxFoundation.org. "MIPS Technologies Joins Linux Foundation." Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  71. ^ Steve Bush, ElectronicsWeekly.com. "Google's Android marches onto MIPS processors." Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  72. ^ "MIPS Technologies Joins the Open Handset Alliance". MIPS Technologies, Inc.. 2009-09-30. http://www.mips.com/news-events/newsroom/release-archive-2009/9_30_09.dot. 
  73. ^ Peter Clarke, EE Times. "MIPS Appoints Former Cavium Exec as CEO MIPS." January 25, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  74. ^ Dean Takahashi, Venture Beat. "MIPS aims to drive Android into consumer electronics gear." January 5, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  75. ^ Mark LaPedus, EE Times. "Update: MIPS gets sweet with Honeycomb." April 26, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  76. ^ Peter Clarke, EE Times. "MIPS: Android remains processor neutral." April 1, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.

External links