Novafora, which acquired low power chip company Transmeta in late 2008, is out of business. And all that Transmeta x86 code morphing source code, build servers, documentation and prototypes are for sale. There are some complications to the deal, but this is a potential opportunity for a large chip company to get their hands on some key emulation technology.
All the details are at novafora-transmeta.com (but note you have to register on the site and agree to an NDA to get access to the information. Bids for the technology must be received by October 30, 2009.
Disclosure – Keith Teare, who has been part of TechCrunch since the beginning, is aiding Novafora in the transaction. TechCrunch has no direct financial interest in any of this. We’re just hoping the technology finds a useful home.
From the site:
Highlights
For Sale by 30 October 2009This site is under development. Final content may not be in place until the week of the bidding. Please return and check for changes. If you intend bidding please contact us to enable your due diligence.
All assets of:
Novafora Inc
Transmeta LLC
To include:All Novafora and Transmeta Assets.
All future revenues from Transmeta Licenses owned by Novafora Inc. Last quarter revenues of $415,000
All Transmeta file-servers, build servers, prototype hardware, source code and documentation.
Assignment of all Novafora Inc patent filings related to the “Spika” chip
All servers, source code, tools (”reggen” and “publish”) and documentation to Novafora’s “Spika” Chip
Assignment of all Novafora Inc patent filings related to the Video Genome Project
All servers, source code (unfinished) and documentation to Novafora’s Video Genome Project
In all of these cases a buyer will need to determine the extent to which they are able to use the assets described. Read this site carefully as there are clearly legal constraints covering many items. And do not rely on this site to determine usability. Take your own legal and tax advice.