Motorola Inc has licensed its Secure M210 controller core, based on its M-Core 32-bit microRISC core architecture, to Atmel Corp. Atmel says it will use the technology for a new line of embedded microcontrollers aimed at the smart-card industry.
Atmel agreed to acquire Motorola’s Smart Information Transfer business, a unit of the Semiconductor Products Sector, at the beginning of the year, on undisclosed terms. It claims the transaction will position it as the world’s third largest smart card integrated circuit provider once completed. Motorola’s other smart card-related businesses, such as its Worldwide Smartcard Solutions Division, are unaffected by the sale according to Motorola.
