Stardent Computer Inc, the Concord, Massachusetts graphics superworkstation company formed by the coast-to-coast merger of Ardent and Stellar, has given up what has proved a very unequal struggle since the merger and decided to liquidate. The company had been hoping for a rescue postal order to arrive from its Japanese sugar-daddy Kubota Co, but insists that the decision to liquidate was its own and not Kubota’s. Kubota Pacific Computer Inc, which bought the development rights to the Titan R3000-based workstation last year, will be assigned US and European marketing rights as well. Stardent is looking for a buyer for its 80860 RISC-based Vistra graphics workstations. The company announced plans in August to transfer its Automatic Visualisation System to a new company, AVS Inc (CI No 1,742), and that effort is proceeding. Stardent chief executive Bill Poduska plans to become chairman of AVS Inc once the spin-off is completed. If the Vistra business is not sold by the end of the year, it will be closed. A new venture staffed by existing employees will be established to support the 500 or so Stellar GS and DS families.
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