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Apple buys PPC company for $278M

Written by Chris Tangora

Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Here's one that kinda throws you. Apple just bought PA Semi for $278 million dollars, cash. PA Semi is a low-power semiconductor design company, the thing is they work with the "Power" chip architecture that Apple just abandoned for Intel chips. Say what? Yes, you heard me. Apple has just spent $278 million dollars to buy a Power PC chip design company.

Now don't go throwing away your new Intel MacPro's just yet. Even though the PA Semi does do Power chips, I'm sure that the Mac isn't jumping ship on Intel just yet. Chances are this is all about patents. I'm willing to bet that PA Semi (currently with 150 employees) has some patents that Apple wants for itself. PA Semi claims to have a process that makes a power chip three to four times faster than current chips of similar design and power consumption.

Maybe Steve just did this to keep everyone on their toes and guessing?

From Forbes via InfoWorld

Comments (8)

	30-04-2008 06:41
	The Wall Street Journal interviewed Steve Jobs about the PA Semi acquisition. Jobs basically said that Apple has no plans to put the PowerPC back in any Macs, but that PA Semi was purchased for its expertise in portable devices like the iPod and iPhone: http://tinyurl.com/63obqa Registered

the JoshMeister

	24-04-2008 22:53
	Just read at information week that the deal for P.A. Semi went down at Steve Job's house. Talk about "we know it's going to happen" mentality. Skip the board room, let's talk over at my place. Registered

ctan

	24-04-2008 09:49
	Well, for Apple, 278M is pocket change. Registered

oojacoboo

	23-04-2008 21:20
	Yeah, 278M, pocket change. I have at least double that in my back pocket... Registered

987687

	23-04-2008 20:41
	I think it's almost certain that Apple did this to buy patents, and/or as a preemptive strike to keep from getting sued for something that PA Semi could claim it had previously patented. At the very least, PA Semi had some kind of asset(s) that Apple wanted to own. Some people think this purchase has to do with future iPhone processors. Who knows? (Other than a handful of executives at Apple, of course.) BigO: Yep, the timing couldn't have been better for a mysterious acquisition annoucement. =) endosage: Psystar makes (or, at least, pretends to make) clones based on Mac OS X for Intel and stuff from the OSx86 Project community. I'm not sure what Psystar would want with a PowerPC company. Not to mention that Psystar is a tiny startup company with nowhere near $278 million. Registered

the JoshMeister

	23-04-2008 15:04
	... Or to keep companies like Psystar from buying the PowerPC ships. Registered

endosage

	23-04-2008 11:18
	it's really interesting that this hit the news just hours before their Q2 financial call. Registered

BigO

	23-04-2008 09:55
	wow, 278M, thats a pretty good deal! Registered

oojacoboo

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