More details are surfacing, making things (more) clear for us consumers. Ryan Block at Engadget reports a few more things, including Apple's recent purchase of PA Semi contributing to future iPhones.

[Link]

Still its not sure that whether Apple will use these chips in its desktops and laptops in future or not.

OSNews article

Comments from Steve Jobs

Remember that small little chip company, P.A. Semi, that Apple bought a while ago ? Well it turned out that the guys over at P.A. Semi were actually being commissioned by the US government for their chips that were used in weaponry systems and the like. So when Apple bought the little company, the feds got worried that one of their suppliers may have been taken out of the market. No so. The Register has reported that:

PA Semi's staff has started notifying a limited set of customers that the company's existing dual-core processor will enjoy long-term support. Apple will employ a number of old PA Semi staffers just for this task, which is good news for folks making missiles, mine-sweeping gear and storage boxes.

So there you go. Apple hasn't endangered national security jut yet.

Now none of the Apple products seems to be using POWER based processors. So now the acquisition of PA Semi leads to questions, like where will be these PWRficient processors will be used? Will they be used in iPhones, iPods?

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Por Rosalía Arroyo en PC Actual, 23-04-2008

Ha sido la revista Forbes quien ha anunciado que Apple ha comprado por 278 millones de dólares P.A. Semi, una compañía que debutó hace tan sólo unos años con diseños de chips de bajo consumo basados en un viejo amigo de Apple, la arquitectura Power de IBM.

Por el momento no está claro lo que Apple tiene en mente para P.A. Semi, aunque no parece que la compañía vaya a meterse a diseñador de chips a estas alturas. La opinión de Forbes que es Apple está planeando poner los chips de P.A. Semi en su iPhone. Según la publicación las negociaciones de Steve Jobs, CEO de Apple, tenían como objetivo no sólo colocar los procesadores de eficiencia energética en el corazón de iPhone, sino también en los iPods, citando fuentes cercanas a P.A. Semi.

.....

アップルが P.A. Semi を買収した理由がいまひとつよく分らない。

第２四半期決算発表の前日、アップルは省電力チップの設計で知られる P.A. Semi を買収した。Forbes がこのニュースをすっぱ抜いた。

その後ウォールストリートジャーナルが、直接 Steve Jobs にインタビューをしている。

WSJ: "Jobs Still Hearts Intel" by Nick Wingfield: 24 April 2008

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アップルが省電力チップ設計会社を買収したのを見て、３年にわたるインテルとの蜜月関係にひびが入ったのではないかと勘ぐるものもいる。

しかし Steve Jobs はそんなことはないとウォールストリートジャーナルの Nick Wingfield に語っている。

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「インテルとはすばらしいパートナー関係にある。［この関係は］未来永劫続くものと考えている。」

"We have a great partnership with Intel," Jobs said. "We expect that to continue forever."

Jobs がいうには、P.A. Semi を取得したのはチップの設計技師が必要だったからだという。iPod や iPhone のようなポータブル家電については目下のところインテルがチップを供給していない（希望はしているが）ので、P.A. Semi のノウハウを使うかもしれないと述べた。アップルはこれまでもずっと iPod や iPhone 用のカスタムチップの設計に携わってきたので、その技術を高めるのに P.A. Semi は役立ってくれるだろうという。

Jobs said Apple acquired P.A. Semi mainly for its chip designers and suggested it will rely on P.A. Semi's expertise primarily for portable electronics devices like the iPod and iPhone for which Intel doesn't currently supply chips (though they would like to). Jobs says Apple has long been involved in custom designing chips for iPhones and iPods and P.A. Semi will help enhance its capacity to do so.

P.A. Semi は IBM の Power テクノロジーをベースとするチップを作っている。これは数年前マックがインテルチップへの移行を始めたときアップルが放棄したものだ。Jobs いわく、アップルとしては Power チップに戻るつもりはないと・・・

P.A. Semi makes chips based on IBM's Power technology, a family of chips that Apple abandoned several years ago when it began a transition to Intel's chips in the Mac business. Jobs said Apple, though, has no plans to go back to Power chips.

「そんなことで気を揉んだりはしない。インテルとはとてもハッピーな関係だ。」

"I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that," he said. "We're very happy with Intel."

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P.A. Semi 取得の意図についてはいろんな憶測が入り乱れているが、つぎの二つは意表を衝いてなかなかおもしろい。

・Beyond3D: "Apple acquires PA Semi; Press proves lack of understanding." by Arun : 23 April 2008
・PBS: "Apple to the Core: Why Steve Jobs is buying PA Semiconductor." by Robert X. Cringely: 25 April 2008

Technorati Tags: Apple, Intel, P.A. Semi, PPC, Steve Jobs

"The Apple deal will double the $126 million invested in P.A. Semi, a positive return but modest by VC standards. With the possible exception of RMI (which predates Dobberpuhl's company), we expect P.A. Semi will be the last processor startup to generate a positive exit after such sizable funding. Montalvo will probably be the last processor startup to even raise that kind of money. Microprocessors have become a big-boy game; newcomers need not apply."

As the last big microprocessor startup standing, Raza Microelectronics (RMI) was the brainchild of Atiq Raza, who formed a company that was later bought by AMD and turned into one of the company's core microprocessors. RMI has raised more than $120 million to build communications and networking processors. I don't want to believe it's the end of startups trying their hand against the likes of AMD or Intel, but until we come to a breakthrough in materials, ways to reduce the IP hurdles or the cost of masks and design, entrepreneurial chip engineers will have to focus on power managment and cooling, MEMS and RF.

Is Apple really that much of a chip hopper?

If Apple follows through and uses a chip designed by its latest acquisition, P.A. Semi, in a future product, the company will have made major bets on Power, x86, ARM, and Power again in just this decade. What, no love for SPARC or MIPS?

P.A. Semi's chips aren't going to fit into this little package just yet, but they could one day.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

A P.A. Semi representative on Wednesday confirmed last night's news that Apple has paid $278 million for the low-power chip designer. Led by prominent chip designer Don Dobberpuhl, the two-and-a-half-year-old company makes chips for embedded devices based on IBM's Power instruction set.

So what might Apple want with P.A. Semi? Forbes reported that Apple plans to put its chips inside the iPhone, but several possibilities are being considered this morning, as the industry tries to digest this piece of news.

Apple's iPhone group almost assuredly doesn't want P.A. Semi's current product. The PWRficient PA6T-1682M is the only product listed on P.A. Semi's Web page. It's a dual-core 64-bit chip designed for high-performance computing and embedded applications--things like server appliances or sophisticated telecommunications gear.

It's a pretty powerful chip that consumes between 5 watts and 13 watts of power, in most situations. However, while that may be ideal for a server, networking switch, or even a MacBook, it's way too much for a handheld device like the iPhone or the iPod Touch. The Samsung chip inside the iPhone is based on a core designed by ARM that consumes about 279 milliwatts running flat-out at 620MHz. Apple uses a slightly slower version.

Even Intel's Atom chip, which is going into so-called mobile Internet devices, consumes less power than the PA6T-1682M (that's a hell of a name). To date, no other company appears to be developing a smartphone based on this generation of Atom.

A few interesting possibilities perked up as I traveled across the Web this morning. A commenter at The Register, picked up by Slashdot, suggested that Apple could have a game console in mind. That would be a perfect application for this kind of chip, though I'm not sure that if Apple has the desire to get into game consoles, despite filing a patent for that type of device. Maybe Apple TV 3.0 could use a performance boost, which Apple would certainly get, switching to the P.A. chip and dropping an older version of Intel's Pentium M processor.

Apple could be planning to release a mobile Internet device of its own based on the chip. Again, power consumption concerns raise a red flag here, as you'd have to design any handheld device to accommodate the worst-case scenario power consumption of P.A.'s chip: 25 watts. You'd really need something bigger to effectively dissipate that much heat, as it would require a cooling fan.

Another interesting possibility could be that Apple wants to get more involved in the server market. P.A. Semi initially wanted to get its chips inside Apple's notebooks, and was apparently in discussions with Apple right up until its decision to embrace Intel's notebook processors in 2005. After that defeat, P.A. Semi pitched its chip as ideal for clusters of low-power servers.

The most likely scenario is that Apple wants a future P.A. Semi product for a handheld, server, notebook, or something in between. Dobberpuhl and his team of veteran chip designers are some of the brightest minds in the industry, with an extensive track record. The chipmaker also brings along a low-power patent portfolio that would be attractive to any company focused on low-power computers.

And as we argued, news started leaking out that some powerful P.A. Semi customers were hopping mad over the deal. The Department of Defense is worried that Apple will stop production of the PWRficient processor that is designed into many new armed services initiatives.

On Monday (April 21), P.A. Semi informed its customers it was being acquired and it could no longer guarantee supplies of its chips. The startup did not identify the acquiring company but said that company may be willing to supply the chip on an end-of-life basis, if it could successfully transfer a third-party license to the technology.

The EE Times further adds:

The source said he is aware of more than 10 defense systems using the PWRficient CPU, one of which recently forecasted it will use 70,000 of the chips over the next ten years. The board company alone forecast it would sell $100 million in products based on P.A. Semi chips over the next four years. Users include defense giants such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the source said.

It seems that Apple acquired P.A. Semi Inc. which is unusual because Apple doesn't normally acquire companies. Not without a darn good reason, anyway. (See iPod History and Design by clicking here.) If Apple's acquiring P.A. Semi Inc. then odds are there are very good reasons why.

But then at the end of the article Steve Jobs, of course, makes it all clear:

Mr. Jobs said the acquisition of P.A. had "everything to do with their talent and, in some cases, their technology" and that Apple intends to use the company's expertise in its portable electronics products. "To get the silicon we need to be able to run the sophisticated software we want to run on iPhones and iPods, you can't just go out and buy the chips off the shelf to do that," he said.

It will be interesting to see what tricks Señor Jobs has up his sleeve for us. ;)

θα πείσει την Apple να χρησιμοποιήσει επεξεργαστές από την τελευταία της σειρά Atom στο iphone, o Steve Jobs ανακοίνωσε την εξαγορά μιας μικρής αλλά πρωτοπόρας εταιρείας εξειδικευμένη στην σχεδίαση επεξεργαστών χαμηλής κατανάλωσης.

Η P.A. Semi, ιδρύθηκε το 2003 από τον Dan Dobberpuhl και η απόκτησή της κόστισε 278 εκατομμύρια δολάρια.

Ουσιαστικά η συγκεκριμένη κίνηση έχει σαν στόχο την διαφοροποίηση του iphone από τον ανταγωνισμό που προσπαθεί με μανία να κατασκευάσει συσκευές με παρόμοια χαρακτηριστικά . Περισσότερα μπορείτε να διαβάσετε ΕΔΩ

So it was announces today that Apple, after some short negotiations, has purchased P.A. Semi, a small microprocessor company. Intel was reportedly "stoked" when they heard the news that they are no longer going to be the exclusive chip provider for Apple. However, I don't think Intel has to much to worry about. It isn't likely that this acquisition is going to spell a total switch to these new processors across the board. But, the $278 million deal was definitely not on a whim, and I am sure Apple has some plans to use its new asset.

This company, P.A. Semi, is known for their development of super energy efficient chips in small packages. They were behind the introduction of the 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor. This little gem is supposedly 300% more efficient than the competition's models (Apple is looking at you Intel).

So are we getting ready to see a switch to these now in-house chips across the board? As I said before, not likely. While eliminating more of the off of the shelf components from the mac would likely increase stability, the Intel switch is just to recent. Apple would have to ask its parters to spend more money rewriting the code of their respective applications for the new platform, something that the last few software companies to cross the finish line (Microsoft) achieved only a few months ago for the Intel switch. What is more likely is that we will see these little processors show up in the iPhone and iPods from here on out, with the exception of the 3G iPhone coming this summer as there wouldn't be enough time to implement the recently acquired hardware.

All in all this is an interesting move for Apple. Owning their own chip design is something nobody saw coming, but it may turn out to be a good move if they have enough devices they wish to implement them in. Using an in-house brand of chip gives them a lot of control over the performance of their products. We will just have to wait and see where all these new chips start cropping up.

UPDATE: MacRumors.com had this to say:

EETimes provides some additional insight into Apple's motivations on the acquisition. According to comments made directly to P.A. Semi's customers, Apple is "not interested in the startup's products or road map, but is buying the company for its intellectual property and engineering talent." In fact, P.A. Semi also told customers that they would be unable to guarantee a supply of its chips in the future.

As it turns out, this may cause some resistance to the acquisition, as P.A. Semi's chips are reportedly used in a number of ongoing Department of Defense projects.

A meu ver isto é uma pedra no calçado da Intel que pode não gostar muito de saber que a Apple se prepara para afastar dos processadores de baixo consumo da Intel.

Por outro lado a incorporação do novo processador na família apple poderá permiti à apple oferecer algo exclusivo que não poderá ser imitado por outras companhias, mas só o futuro dirá o que vai na cabeça do CEO da Apple Steve Jobs.

Para além disso a PA Semi e a Apple já estiveram próximas no passado, na altura em que a Apple se preparava para abandonar os Power PC da IBM!

Como é que isto vai acabar? É sabido que a Apple gosta de exclusividade e isso é algo que a Intel não lhe vai dar. Por isso esta aquisição é a forma da Apple dizer que vai entrar no mercado da produção de processadores como fabricante e não como consumidor. Ora e agora? poderão os PASemi ficar-se pelos iPhones? Ou chegarão um dia também a substituir os processadores no desktop? (Lembre-se que era intenção da PASemi há uns anos construir um processador baseado em Power PC que fosse muito poupado e muito mais potente!) O tempo dirá.

via Forbes

The decision to center the iPhone design around a chip that Apple could own marks a significant strategic choice by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, and is aimed at ensuring Apple can continue to differentiate its flagship phone as a raft of competitors flood the market. According to a source affiliated with the chip company, Jobs and Senior Vice President Tony Fadell led the tiny group of executives who spearheaded the acquisition, which included negotiations that took place in Jobs' home.

Apple's decision is going to post a problem for Intel Corp. and its newly announced Atom chip. It is unlikely that Intel's chip was going to find room in the handsets made by some of the larger players.

Chip industry insiders believe that Intel was betting on an Apple win to gain scale for Atom which in turn would allow it to dominate the "portable internet device" market. iPhone and iPod Touch are the early leaders in the PID category, and are unlikely to cede that spot for near foreseeable future.

PA Semi had designed a 64-bit dual core chip that consumer between 5-to-13 watts running at 2 gigahertz, making it a good chip for the PID category. So far, PA Semi has found takers in telecom equipment makers.

Beyond3D puts context on the news announcement. While they are mostly right about everything, I don't think you can rule out the iPhone argument.