[IP] more on IBM VC calls for 'open' hardware
------ Forwarded Message
From: Simon Higgs <simon@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 22:17:51 +0100
To: <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [IP] IBM VC calls for 'open' hardware
Dave,
Isn't this what Gil Amelio tried to do with the Apple platform before Steve
Jobs returned? If I remember right, IBM and Motorola were the driving force
behind creating an open PPC platform. Unfortunately, one phone call from
Jobs ended Motorola's licence to produce Mac clones and they were forced
overnight to kill the company's Apple hardware division (which was valued
at over $80 million). It's really good to see IBM attempt to resurrect the
open platform concept.
Simon
>------ Forwarded Message
>From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Date: Sat, 09 Apr 2005 21:16:51 -0700
>To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: [Dewayne-Net] IBM VC calls for 'open' hardware
>
>IBM VC calls for 'open' hardware
>
>Richard Goering
> (04/08/2005 12:53 AM EDT)
> URL: <http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160502705>
>
> MONTEREY, Calif. ? A revolution is coming to the electronics industry,
>says Juan-Antonio Carballo, partner in IBM's venture capital group ?
>and it's based on "open" hardware that will foster the kind of
>collaborative effort that Linux has brought to software.
>
> Carballo presented his argument before a somewhat skeptical audience
>at the Electronic Design Processes (EDP) workshop Thursday (April 7).
>But Carballo insisted that various kinds of "openness," including
>collaborative efforts and open-source models, will change the world of
>system-on-chip (SoC) venture financing.
>
> "There's a pretty important wave coming in our industry that most of
>us are not noticing, and it could change it completely," said Carballo,
>who happens to be an avid surfer. "The open-source model is quickly
>extending from software to hardware, and it will provide a similar
>swell of collaborative innovation."
>
> The word "open" has various meanings with respect to hardware and
>silicon intellectual property (IP), he said. At one level, it could
>mean the details can be viewed, but not altered. It might mean the
>hardware can be used for free in a design that can be sold. Or it might
>mean that a community of users can modify details, so long as they
>donate the modifications.
>
> Thus, for Carballo, the word "open" includes but is not limited to the
>classical definition of open source, in which source is freely
>available and a community of users can contribute modifications. He
>also noted that "open" doesn't necessarily mean free of charge.
>
> The dilemma, he said, is that companies need to minimize risk, and IP
>often comes from small, creative companies. There is risk in open
>silicon IP. An IP valuation methodology is thus going to be crucial for
>the open hardware effort, Carballo noted.
>
> Carballo argued that open hardware produces a better return on
>investment. If a company is in an open standards environment, he said,
>time to profit goes down. And he suggested that giving away IP or tools
>for free, even for a limited time, could create a "huge incentive."
>
> If everything is open and given away, asked one audience member, how
>will anyone make money?
>
> "That's a different talk," Carballo said. "But think about how people
>are making money on Linux. It's in value-added stuff. Maybe you can
>make money on the chip, or on services around the core."
>
> Carballo pointed to www.power.org as an example of the kind of
>collaboration he's talking about. Power.org claims to represent a
>worldwide community of developers, tool providers, and manufacturers
>who are collaborating on industry standards and delivering applications
>based on IBM's Power Architecture technology.
>
>Archives at: <http://Wireless.Com/Dewayne-Net>
>Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>
>
>
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Best Regards,
Simon Higgs
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