It seems that, having failed to get a hit with its own microprocessors and withdrawn from the general purpose CPU market, Texas Instruments Inc hopes to return with a whole family of parts compatible with Intel Corp’s iAPX-86 line. According to Dow Jones, Texas is the secret second source for the Cyrix Corp Cx486SLC, and is planning to market the chip under its own name alongside the ones it plans to take from Chips & Technologies Inc. Cyrix believes that like SGS Thomson Microelectronics NV, its first source for the Cx486SLC, Texas can avoid any legal strife with Intel thanks to its patent cross-licence agreement. Meantime Cyrix, said by Microbytes Daily to have full 32-bit 33MHz and 40MHz Cx486s, has filed suit against Intel seeking declaratory judgement to validate its plan to have SGS and Texas fabricate the chips: Nothing more than patent laundering, snorts an angry Intel.
