Another RISC-V firm falls as GlobalFoundries buys MIPS ... - eeNews Europe

Abstract

GlobalFoundries has announced the acquisition of MIPS, an IP vendor recently characterized by its strategic pivot toward the RISC-V ecosystem. This consolidation event sees a major semiconductor foundry integrating core processor IP capabilities directly into its structure. The move is significant as it brings MIPS's extensive engineering talent and processor technology portfolio under the ownership of GlobalFoundries.

Report

Key Highlights

• Acquisition Confirmation: GlobalFoundries (GF) is buying the processor IP company MIPS.
• Industry Consolidation: This move signifies a significant consolidation within the semiconductor intellectual property (IP) and processor design market.
• MIPS's Status: The article characterizes MIPS as a "RISC-V firm," highlighting its recent strategic emphasis on developing and licensing RISC-V cores.
• Foundry Integration: The acquisition places a competitive processor IP vendor under the direct control of a major pure-play foundry (GF).

Technical Details

• Core IP Focus: The acquisition centers on MIPS’s entire intellectual property portfolio, including its existing MIPS architecture licenses and its newer line of RISC-V processor cores.
• Architecture Strategy: MIPS had committed heavily to developing high-performance and low-power CPU solutions based on the open-standard RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).
• Asset Transfer: The deal includes MIPS's engineering teams, ongoing development projects, and related CPU core subsystems utilized in various embedded and computational applications.

Implications

• Captive IP for GF: GlobalFoundries gains an internal, captive source of processor IP, which can be tightly integrated into their design offerings and manufacturing processes. This could reduce licensing complexity and accelerate time-to-market for GF customers developing SoCs.
• Validation and Stress on RISC-V: The acquisition validates the commercial importance of the RISC-V architecture, demonstrating that companies focusing on it (like MIPS) possess valuable assets. However, it also shows that maintaining independence in the highly competitive processor IP market remains challenging, leading to consolidation.
• Future of MIPS Licensing: There is uncertainty regarding the future strategy for licensing MIPS's RISC-V cores. GF traditionally operates as a foundry; whether it will continue to aggressively license MIPS IP externally or prioritize internal customer use remains a key question for the ecosystem.