Chips and Technologies
| File:Chips and Technologies wordmark.svg | |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 1984 |
| Founder | Gordon A. Campbell, Dado Banatao |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Fate | Acquired by Intel |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | SoCs, GPUs |
| Website | Template:Web archive |
Chips and Technologies, Inc. (C&T) was among the pioneering fabless semiconductor companys, established in December 1984 in Milpitas, California by Gordon A. Campbell and Dado Banatao.
Their initial offering, unveiled in September 1985, was a four-chip EGA chipset that integrated the roles of 19 distinct proprietary EGA chips from IBM. By the time of November's COMDEX, more than six manufacturers had introduced EGA-compatible graphics boards utilizing C&T’s chipset. This early achievement paved the way for subsequent chipsets tailored for PC motherboards and additional computer graphics chip products.
In 1997, C&T was acquired by Intel, primarily to incorporate its graphics chipset technology.
In January 2000, former employees of C&T established Asiliant Technologies to provide ongoing support for graphics ICs including CHIPS 65545, 65550, 65555, 69000, 69030, among others designed for notebooks and LCD displays. Intel granted licensing rights to Asiliant, which produced and marketed C&T components for several years before ceasing operations.
x86 products
C&T engineered the SuperMath J38700DX, an FPU coprocessor compatible with the 80387DX.
Additionally, they developed the Super386 38600DX/38600SX microprocessors compatible with the Intel 80386, employing clean room design methodologies. Despite advanced features such as a 512-byte cache on the 38605DX model, these processors failed to capture significant market share against competitors like Intel, AMD, and Cyrix due to socket incompatibility and intense competition.
Motherboard chips and chipsets
- 82C100 – Launched in 1987 as a system logic chip compatible with IBM PS/2 Model 30 and Super XT platforms. This component supported CPUs including the 8086/8088 family and NEC V20/V30 processors. It combined multiple PC/XT functions such as clock generation, interrupt controllers, DMA controllers, memory controllers for DRAM/SRAM, keyboard controller, parity generation, EMS management, dual clock support, and power control. Memory support extended up to 2.5 MB RAM.
- 82C206 – Released in 1986 as the central element of the NEAT (New Enhanced AT) chipset. It consolidated numerous TTL chips found on IBM PC/AT motherboards by integrating clock generation, bus control logic, timers, interrupt controllers, DMA controllers, along with NVRAM and RTC capabilities.
- 82C235 – Known as Single Chip AT (SCAT), this chip debuted in 1989 to provide compatibility with PC/AT systems. It supported LIM EMS version 4.0 specifications, memory capacities up to 16 MB, and Shadow RAM functionality.
- 82C351, 82C355, 82C356 / CS82310 (PEAK DM) – This three-chip set succeeded the NEAT chipset for use with 32-bit 386DX processors. The PEAK DM/386 chipset accommodated up to 128MB of RAM arranged in eight banks (typically implemented as two banks of 32MB each) along with up to a 256KB direct-mapped L2 cache.
- 82C836 – Known as Single Chip 386SX AT (SCATsx), it maintained compatibility with PC/AT bus architecture. It incorporated all features of SCAT while adding support for the i386SX CPU core, i387SX math coprocessor integration, and optional external L2 cache support.
Video chips
Chips and Technologies was a pioneer, after IBM, in producing an Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)-compatible chipset composed of four distinct components:
- 82C431 Graphics Controller
- 82C432 Sequencer
- 82C433 Attributes Controller
- 82C434 CRT Controller
Subsequently, C&T released a "Super EGA" chipset featuring two chips: the 82C435 Enhanced Graphics Controller and the 82A436 Bus Interface, which supported resolutions up to 800×600 at 38MHz.
The company also led the market outside IBM by introducing a compatible Video Graphics Array (VGA) chipset, the 82C451, in 1987. This launch coincided with the release of VGA cards, effectively opening the IBM-compatible graphics sector. Soon after, firms such as Trident Microsystems, Western Digital, Cirrus Logic, and Oak Technology entered this competitive arena.
The 82C480/82C481 chipset series offered full compatibility with the IBM 8514/A graphics controller and enhanced 2D graphical user interface performance through a 32-bit VRAM interface.
Chips and Technologies created the Wingine video card, a high-performance framebuffer designed for proprietary local bus slots on select Epson and JCIS motherboards. This product gained popularity among NEXTSTEP users running on Intel CPUs due to its superior speed.
The advanced HiQVision series—including models 65550, 65554, 65555, 68554, 69000, and 69030—was engineered for affordable yet powerful integrated solutions featuring direct drive capabilities for flatpanel and LCD displays.
Apple integrated multiple C&T controllers within its PowerBook lineup: the 65550 powered the PowerBook 3400, while the more advanced 65554 was utilized in the "Kanga" PowerBook G3. Earlier NuBus-based PowerBooks such as the PowerBook 1400 employed the less sophisticated 65525A.
Eventually, C&T shifted focus toward entry-level video products; notably, the 65555 incorporated an LVDS transmitter and achieved design wins in early Compaq Armada notebook models.