Bit, Inc.
FormerlyBipolar Integrated Technology, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryComputer
Founded1983 (1983)in Beaverton, Oregon, United States
Defunct1996 (1996)
FateAcquired by PMC-Sierra
ProductsSemiconductor
Number of employees
250 (peak)[1]

Bipolar Integrated Technology, Inc. (BIT), later Bit, Inc., was a privately held[2] semiconductor company based in Beaverton, Oregon, which sold products implemented with emitter-coupled logic technology. The company was founded in 1983 by former Floating Point Systems, Intel, and Tektronix engineers.[1][3][4][5] The company, which occupied a 46,000-square-foot manufacturing facility manufacturing facility at the Oregon Graduate Center,[6] raised $36 million in start-up capital within three years of its foundation.[7]

Die shot of a BIT B2110 floating point multiplier

The initial product was a floating-point co-processor chipset. Later, the company produced the B5000 SPARC ECL microprocessor (never reached production in a Sun Microsystems product, though used by Floating Point Systems).[8] They also produced the R6000 MIPS ECL microprocessor, which did reach production as a MIPS minicomputer.[9] Initial yields of the R6000 were very poor, leading to parts shortages for MIPS Computer Systems; the latter company attributed their first quarterly loss in October 1990 to BIT.[10] The two signed an agreement in June 1991 to allow BIT to market the R6000 on the open market, dissolving the previous exclusivity agreement with MIPS.[11]

Under its new president Fred Hanson, BIT had its first profitable year in 1991,[11] reaching peak revenues of $20 million. Revenues dropped the following year to about $10 million, however, after it had lost four of its largest customers, including MIPS, Floating Point, and Control Data.[12] The company eventually entered the telecommunications market with Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) devices and Ethernet switches. The company was acquired by PMC-Sierra in September 1996 for these later communications products.[1][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Staff writer (September 9, 1996). "Sierra purchases Bit". Electronic News. International Publishing Corporation. 42 (2133): 2 via ProQuest.
  2. Ristelhueber, Robert (July 1, 1991). "Bipolar Integrated Tech, MIPS sign two chip-set agreements". Chilton's Electronic News. Sage Publications. 37 (1867): 15 via Gale.
  3. Staff writer (1986). "Sunset corridor symbolizes power of private sector". National Real Estate Investor. Communication Channels. 28: 196 via Google Books.
  4. Staff writer (April 15, 1990). "Bipolar names new chief officer". The Oregonian. Oregonian Publishing Company: D6 via ProQuest.
  5. Staff writer (July 31, 1992). "Bipolar appoints top financial officer as president, CEO". The Oregonian. Oregonian Publishing Company: C7 via ProQuest.
  6. Anderson, Michael A. (March 23, 1987). "BIT cashes in on chip that's faster and cooler". Business Journal-Portland. American City Business Journals. 4: 2 via Gale.
  7. Hill, Gail Kinsley (August 3, 1987). "BIT, Lattice trim sails in face of difficulty". Business Journal-Portland. American City Business Journals. 4: 1 via Gale.
  8. Agrawal, Anant; Emil W. Brown; Dave Murata; Joseph Petolino (2012). "Bipolar ECL Implementation of SPARC". In Ben J. Catanzaro (ed.). The SPARC Technical Papers. Springer New York. pp. 201–211. ISBN 9781461231929 via Google Books.
  9. Fletcher, A. (2013). Profile of the Worldwide Semiconductor Industry: Market Prospects to 1997. Elsevier Science. p. 251. ISBN 9781483284859 via Google Books.
  10. Manning, Jeff (October 22, 1990). "'Modest' loss tied to Beaverton firm's production lag". Business Journal-Portland. American City Business Journals. 7 (34): 11 via Gale.
  11. 1 2 Manning, Jeff (June 24, 1991). "Licensing agreement may restore shine to BIT's performance". Business Journal-Portland. American City Business Journals. 8 (17): 1 via Gale.
  12. Manning, Jeff (December 21, 1992). "BIT layoffs drag on, new investors sought". Business Journal-Portland. American City Business Journals. 9 (43): 1 via Gale.
  13. Wirbel, Loring (December 8, 1997). "PMC-Sierra unveils Exact bus, switching fabric". Electronic Engineering Times. CMP Publications (984): 50 via ProQuest.
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