AMCC did not simply buy a batch of IBM processors. On April 13, 2004, the companies announced an agreement for AMCC to acquire intellectual property, products and other assets associated with IBM’s PowerPC 400 embedded standard-product business, plus a Power Architecture license. The deal closed on May 5. IBM continued manufacturing the standard products for AMCC and retained the ability to use PowerPC 400 cores in custom designs.
What AMCC acquired
The transaction covered the IP and product portfolio associated with IBM’s 400-series embedded PowerPC standard products, related assets, and a Power Architecture license. AMCC’s closing announcement described the package as IP, a portfolio of products and other assets, and the license. It was therefore a transfer of the standard-product business and related rights—not an outright sale of every use of the PowerPC 400 architecture.
The April 13 announcement also said AMCC would gain access to IBM’s advanced CMOS process and system-on-chip (SoC) design methodology. A later AMCC SEC filing characterized the transaction more broadly as AMCC acquiring IBM’s Embedded PowerPC business in May 2004; that filing also records that 51 of IBM’s PowerPC employees in France transferred to AMCC.
When the deal happened and how much AMCC paid
| Date or disclosure | What it says |
|---|---|
| April 13, 2004 announcement | AMCC and IBM announced the definitive agreement. The announced consideration was approximately $227 million in cash. |
| May 5, 2004 closing | AMCC announced that the acquisition was complete. |
| May 5, 2004 Form 8-K | AMCC reported aggregate purchase consideration of $235 million in cash under the operative agreements. |
The two prices refer to different stages of disclosure: approximately $227 million was the announced figure, while $235 million was the aggregate purchase price reported in the closing Form 8-K. They should not be treated as competing estimates of a single unchanged announcement.
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Who made the chips after the acquisition?
IBM remained the manufacturer and supplier of the standard PowerPC 400 products for AMCC. AMCC acquired the standard-product portfolio and related rights, but the arrangement did not require IBM to stop making the chips. IBM also retained the right to use PowerPC 400 embedded cores in custom ASICs, SoCs and other customized logic.
In practical terms, AMCC became the owner and commercial focus for the standard-product line, while IBM continued its manufacturing role and could incorporate the cores into custom semiconductor work. A contemporaneous EE Times account said IBM would refer sales opportunities for standard PowerPC 400 products to AMCC; its continuing interest was in using the cores in custom ASIC and SoC products.
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Why the acquisition fit AMCC
IBM’s PowerPC 400 line targeted embedded uses in Internet, communications, data storage, consumer electronics and imaging. AMCC said the portfolio complemented its WAN and storage integrated circuits. Its stated longer-term strategy was to combine PowerPC cores with its network-processing portfolio to build communications processors for data-center, storage and wireless-infrastructure markets.
The arrangement separated two commercial paths for the technology: AMCC could develop and sell standard products for embedded customers, while IBM could continue using the cores as components of customer-specific designs. The license and access to IBM’s process and SoC methods supported AMCC’s product plans without ending IBM’s custom-design activity.
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Sources
- AMCC and IBM announcement, April 13, 2004
- AMCC closing announcement, May 5, 2004
- AMCC Form 8-K, May 5, 2004
- EE Times account of the transaction
- Later AMCC SEC filing discussing the Embedded PowerPC business and employee transfers
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