Montalvo Systems
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Peter Song |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Fate | Acquired by Sun Microsystems |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Matt Perry (CEO and president), Peter Song (Chief Architect), Greg Favor (Microarchitecture lead), Carlos Puchol (System and power architecture), Kevin Lawton (Processor simulator architect) |
| Products | Asymmetrical x86-compatible processors, ultra low-power system-on-chip solutions for mobile platforms |
Number of employees | ~300 (peak) |
| Parent | Sun Microsystems |
Montalvo Systems was a Silicon Valley-based start-up focused on creating an asymmetrical processor compatible with x86 architecture, bearing resemblance to the Cell microprocessor. Its architecture combined powerful cores designated for demanding operations with simpler cores handling less intensive tasks, aiming to enhance silicon utilization and energy efficiency. Matt Perry, previously CEO of Transmeta, held the roles of CEO and president at Montalvo. Peter Song, the founder of the unsuccessful x86 company MemoryLogix, acted as chief architect. The core team featured Greg Favor (from NexGen/AMD), who led the chip's microarchitecture development, alongside Carlos Puchol (formerly with Transmeta and Nvidia), who was responsible for system and power architecture. Kevin Lawton, recognized for his work on bochs and plex86, contributed as the architect of the processor simulator.
Montalvo characterized itself as:
A fabless semiconductor enterprise specializing in ultra low-power system-on-chip solutions for mobile platforms.
On April 24, 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired Montalvo’s assets; the financial terms were not publicly disclosed.
Locations
The company’s headquarters were situated in Santa Clara, California—near former Transmeta offices and in proximity to Intel and Sun Microsystems locations. Additionally, Montalvo maintained branches in Boulder, Colorado and Bangalore, India. At its height, the workforce numbered close to 300 employees.
In early 2008, facing financial challenges, Montalvo pursued additional capital to prevent closure, resulting in the reduction of its engineering team by approximately two-thirds. Around this period, acquisition discussions with Sun Microsystems surfaced and were officially confirmed in April 2008.
Finances
Based on records from the Cal-EASI database, Montalvo’s funding timeline is as follows:
| Date | Funding Type | Amount | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-05-03 | Series A | $1,997,751.36 | Potential consolidation of earlier funding rounds |
| 2005-05-03 | Series A | $4,548,247.70 | |
| 2005-10-11 | Warrants | $302,000.00 | |
| 2005-10-24 | Series A | $9,548,247.70 | |
| 2006-03-10 | Series B | $26,299,998.53 | |
| 2007-08-29 | Bridge Financing | $11,607,573.06 | Subordinated convertible promissory notes |
| 2007-12-17 | Bridge Financing | $20,000,000.00 | Subordinated convertible promissory notes and warrants |
News
- 2008-04-24 Sun acquires low-power x86 chipmaker Montalvo
- 2008-04-03 Sun Microsystems may leverage Montalvo against Intel
- 2008-04-01 Sun close to acquiring Intel competitor Montalvo
- 2008-03-31 Montalvo Systems reduces workforce by two-thirds
- 2008-03-31 Intel rival Montalvo faces significant cuts
- 2008-03-20 Montalvo seeks substantial funding to avoid shutdown
- 2008-02-18 VIA shifts focus from chipsets to CPUs; doubts on Montalvo's x86 success
- 2008-02-15 Montalvo, an emerging Intel and AMD competitor, faces early challenges
- 2008-02-14 Inside Intel's new competitor: Montalvo's technology
- 2008-02-13 Cash-strapped Montalvo tapes out Silverthorne rival chip
- 2008-02-06 Stealth start-up prepares to challenge Intel in notebooks
- 2007-06-05 Montalvo CFO departs to join Agami Systems
- 2006-08-25 VMware CTO and Transmeta CEO join Montalvo start-up
- 2006-08-19 Former Transmeta CEO targets Intel with low-power chip innovation
- 2005-10-27 Montalvo aims to accelerate mobile device performance
References
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Companies founded in California in 2005
- Companies dissolved in California in 2008
- Mergers and acquisitions completed in 2008
- American enterprises established in 2005
- American enterprises closed in 2008
- Businesses located in Santa Clara, California
- Computer firms founded in 2005
- Computer firms closed in 2008
- California-based defunct companies
- Former computer companies of the United States
- Obsolete computer hardware manufacturers
- Former semiconductor firms in the United States
- Semiconductor companies without fabrication facilities
- Companies involved in heterogeneous computing
- Acquisitions by Sun Microsystems
- Defunct computer companies of the United States