日前創(chuàng)新科技(Creative Technology)與英特爾達(dá)成協(xié)議，后者將出資5000萬(wàn)美元購(gòu)買(mǎi)前者手中的部分技術(shù)專利以及工程資產(chǎn)。 據(jù)稱，這筆交易分為兩部分，第一部分是2000萬(wàn)美元購(gòu)買(mǎi)創(chuàng)新科技旗下子公司ZiiLabs（業(yè)界也稱3DLabs）的高性能GPU技術(shù)專利，此舉被分析師解讀為英特爾在努力擺脫powerVR。第二部分則是3000萬(wàn)美元購(gòu)買(mǎi)創(chuàng)新科技英國(guó)分公司ZiiLabs Limited的工程資產(chǎn)。 ZiiLabs雖然會(huì)賣(mài)掉部分專利技術(shù)，但原有業(yè)務(wù)以及公司本身仍然屬于創(chuàng)新科技，旗下的ZMS系列芯片業(yè)務(wù)以及ZMS-20/40芯片的設(shè)計(jì)并不會(huì)因此而停止。 而ZiiLabs Limited則是創(chuàng)新的一個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)，主要負(fù)責(zé)提供芯片設(shè)計(jì)方案，例如創(chuàng)新的ZMS系列處理器芯片就是由ZiiLabs開(kāi)發(fā)的。這次英特爾不僅是3000萬(wàn)美元購(gòu)買(mǎi)其工程資產(chǎn)，同時(shí)也買(mǎi)下了這個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)，創(chuàng)新科技將逐步撤資，讓ZiiLabs Limited并入英特爾當(dāng)中。 創(chuàng)新科技首席執(zhí)行官Sim Wong Hoo表示，“由于下一代高級(jí)媒體處理器的開(kāi)發(fā)在進(jìn)入28納米及更先進(jìn)的制程后會(huì)更加復(fù)雜和昂貴，我們必須尋求新的發(fā)展模式，與我們的合作伙伴及客戶一起持續(xù)推進(jìn)產(chǎn)品創(chuàng)新。” Sim Wong Hoo補(bǔ)充道：“通過(guò)與英特爾的交易，我們獲得了更高的靈活性，具備了與多家半導(dǎo)體公司在先進(jìn)設(shè)計(jì)和工藝技術(shù)方面協(xié)同發(fā)展的能力。這有利于我們?cè)陂L(zhǎng)期的產(chǎn)品規(guī)劃和發(fā)展過(guò)程中降低風(fēng)險(xiǎn)?！? 2012年2月，創(chuàng)新科技開(kāi)始研發(fā)100核心的ZMS-40媒體處理器，旨在為Android平臺(tái)提供高性能的圖形和多媒體處理。 英特爾和創(chuàng)新科技曾在運(yùn)動(dòng)感應(yīng)攝像頭技術(shù)上進(jìn)行合作，并就富媒體平板電腦產(chǎn)品進(jìn)行過(guò)探討。創(chuàng)新科技表示，希望交易在2012年年底前結(jié)束，之后他們將把業(yè)務(wù)重心放在核心的音頻產(chǎn)品領(lǐng)域。 有趣的是，3DLabs曾在1999年，以約750萬(wàn)美元的價(jià)格授權(quán)其專利組合給英特爾。 編譯：Luffy Liu 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文：Intel buys U.K. graphics chip team, by Peter Clarke

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{pagination} Intel buys U.K. graphics chip team Peter Clarke LONDON – Intel is paying $50 million to multimedia hardware company Creative Technology to license certain patents belonging to Creative subsidiary ZiiLabs Inc. Ltd. and to acquire its U.K. subsidiary ZiiLabs Ltd., formerly known as 3DLabs Ltd. The move by Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) is said to be part of efforts to de-emphasize the use of PowerVR graphics cores licensed from Imagination Technologies Group plc (Kings Langley, England) in future Atom processors. The deal includes $20 million to Creative Technology Ltd. (Singapore) for the licensing of technologies including ZiiLabs graphics processing unit (GPU) technology and $30 million for the acquisition of the U.K. based design team. This design team is engaged in, primarily on behalf of ZiiLabs Inc. Ltd., the development of ZMS chips for Creative. Creative acquired 3DLabs Inc. in 2002 for about $170 million, at the time the company was a Nasdaq-listed developer of graphics chips for workstations but with much of its engineering base still in the U.K.. In February 2012 Creative began sampling the 100-core ZMS-40 media processor aimed at Android platforms with high graphical and multimedia processing requirements (see ZiiLabs samples 100-core HEVC chip). "Moving forward, it will be more cost effective for Creative to outsource to third-party contract chip-layout houses on future advanced chips for its products, while at the same time allowing Creative to focus on its core strength - the designing and marketing of more innovative and exciting products for our customers," said Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative Technology, in a statement. "We will be engaging in discussions to further monetize this valuable collection of 100-plus patents," Sim Wong Hoo added. Under the terms of the deal ZiiLabs Inc. Ltd. will remain a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative and will retain ownership of the StemCell media processor patents and will continue to supply ZMS chips. Intel and Creative have been collaborating on an advanced motion-sensing camera and are in discussions on technology for media-rich tablet products, Creative said. The Creative transaction is expected to close before the end of 2012. Interestingly 3DLabs licensed its entire patent portfolio to Intel in 1999 for about $7.5 million.