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Have We Really Seen the End of MIPS?

Declaring the end of MIPS is premature. Its resilience, the enduring value of its IP, and the pragmatic motivations behind GlobalFoundries’ planned acquisition suggest that MIPS will remain a fixture in the semiconductor landscape, albeit in new forms and under new banners.
Have We Really Seen the End of MIPS?
MIPS CEO Sameer Wasson (image: MIPS)

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By Bolaji Ojo

The latest twist in the storied Journey of MIPS has just begun.

GlobalFoundries wants to buy MIPS and run it as an independent enterprise within its business. Doesn’t that sound like a storyline we’ve heard about MIPS before? In fact, the proposed structure of the deal has soothsayers predicting MIPS could return within the next 5 years to the market as a wholly independent enterprise, having been spun off by its latest buyer.

Of course, this may not happen. GlobalFoundries may make the union work so brilliantly that MIPS becomes very tightly enmeshed in the contract chipmaker’s DNA, giving the IP vendor a home finally. On the other hand, the nature of MIPS’ business combined with the interest of outside parties and current customers in having unfettered access to its IP may one day spur GlobalFoundries into setting the unit free again.

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