The annual Hot Chips forum on semiconductor research, beginning today at Stanford University, usually draws not only industry leaders such as IBM, Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Device Inc., but also new companies with ambitions to take on the big companies.
While AMD, IBM and Intel will discuss their two-core and four-core processors, little Tilera Corp. will use the conference to introduce itself and its 64-core processor to the chip industry.
“As the name implies, Hot Chips is a conference for, you know, cool chips,” said Anant Agrawal, chief technology officer of Tilera.
All kidding aside, Agarwal said that Hot Chips is a great venue at which to announce a launch and that the timing was ideal for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Tilera. “We wanted to announce after we had a completed chip and had begun shipping to real customers,” he said.
Hot Chips is an annual gathering of researchers, academics and industry leaders to discuss developments in semiconductors, said John Sell, general chairman of the conference.
Before the event, each company must present a research abstract of its product, and Hot Chips participants evaluate all of them and choose the most promising ones to present in person at the conference. A record 600 attendees are registered for the 19th Hot Chips event, and 26 projects will be presented, Sell said.