Embedded x86: Adieu, Montalvo Systems

This blog post references my cover story ‘Embedded x86: Keystone Of Your Non-PC Design?‘ in EDN’s May 29, 2008 edition. It’s one of a series of web addendums to the print writeup.

Figures. A month and two days ago, and about two days after I finalized my print writeup, Montalvo Systems executive (and off-hours CNET blogger) Peter Glaskowsky confirmed what many analysts (including yours truly, if you read between the lines of what I wrote) long suspected: secretive startup Montalvo Systems was kaput. Sun Microsystems acquired the company’s assets for an unspecified (but rumoured slim) price tag. Transmeta’s curse strikes again, it seems.

Just what Montalvo was working on has yet to see the public light of day, but even if it was an x86 instruction set-compatible CPU, I suggest you not place any bets on Sun taking on AMD and Intel in the future. Patents and talented personnel were likely the acquiring company’s fundamental motivations, just as Apple’s recent purchase of P.A. Semi probably doesn’t mean that the Power PC is headed back to the Mac (or anything else coming from 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA, for that matter).