Editing Bipolar Integrated Technology

{{Short description|Semiconductor company (defunct)}}
{{Infobox company
| name=Bit, Inc.
| type=Private
| logo=Bipolar Integrated Technology logo.svg
| former_name=Bipolar Integrated Technology, Inc.
| industry=Computer
| founded={{start date and age|1983}}in [[Beaverton, Oregon]], United States
| defunct={{end date and age|1996}}
| fate=Acquired by [[PMC-Sierra]]
| products=Semiconductor
| num_employees=250 (peak)<ref name=acquired />
}}
'''Bipolar Integrated Technology, Inc.''' ('''BIT'''), later '''Bit, Inc.''', was a privately held<ref>{{cite journal | last=Ristelhueber | first=Robert | date=July 1, 1991 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A10946664/GPS?sid=wikipedia | title=Bipolar Integrated Tech, MIPS sign two chip-set agreements | journal=Chilton's Electronic News | publisher= Sage Publications | volume=37 | issue=1867 | page=15 | via=Gale}}</ref> [[semiconductor]] company based in [[Beaverton, Oregon]], which sold products implemented  with [[emitter-coupled logic]] technology.  The company was founded in 1983 by former [[Floating Point Systems]], [[Intel]], and [[Tektronix]] engineers.<ref name=acquired /><ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=1986<!--exact date unknown--> | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EhAjAQAAMAAJ | title=Sunset corridor symbolizes power of private sector | journal=National Real Estate Investor | publisher=Communication Channels | volume=28 | issue=<!--unknown--> | page=196 | via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=April 15, 1990 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/416455882/ | title=Bipolar names new chief officer | journal=The Oregonian | publisher=Oregonian Publishing Company | page=D6 | via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=July 31, 1992 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/416563034/ | title=Bipolar appoints top financial officer as president, CEO | journal=The Oregonian | publisher=Oregonian Publishing Company | page=C7 | via=ProQuest}}</ref> The company, which occupied a 46,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the [[Oregon Graduate Center]],<ref>{{cite journal | last=Anderson | first=Michael A. | date=March 23, 1987 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A5068702/GPS?sid=wikipedia | title=BIT cashes in on chip that's faster and cooler | journal=Business Journal-Portland | publisher= American City Business Journals | volume=4 | issue=<!--unknown issue--> | page=2 | via=Gale}}</ref> raised $36&nbsp;million in start-up capital within three years of its foundation.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hill | first=Gail Kinsley | date=August 3, 1987 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A5224716/GPS?sid=wikipedia | title=BIT, Lattice trim sails in face of difficulty | journal=Business Journal-Portland | publisher= American City Business Journals | volume=4 | issue=<!--unknown issue--> | page=1 | via=Gale}}</ref>
[[File:BIT B2110 die.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|Die shot of a BIT B2110 floating point multiplier]]
The initial product was a [[Floating-point arithmetic|floating-point]] co-processor [[chipset]]. Later, the company produced the B5000 [[SPARC]] ECL [[microprocessor]] (never reached production in a [[Sun Microsystems]] product, though used by [[Floating Point Systems]]).<ref>{{cite book | last=Agrawal | first=Anant | author2=Emil W. Brown | author3=Dave Murata | author4=Joseph Petolino | date=2012 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ESLoBwAAQBAJ | chapter=Bipolar ECL Implementation of SPARC | title=The SPARC Technical Papers | publisher=Springer New York | editor=Ben J. Catanzaro | pages=201–211 | isbn=9781461231929 | via=Google Books}}</ref> They also produced the [[R6000]] [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]] ECL microprocessor, which did reach production as a MIPS [[minicomputer]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Fletcher | first=A. | date=2013 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g_IgBQAAQBAJ | title=Profile of the Worldwide Semiconductor Industry: Market Prospects to 1997 | publisher=Elsevier Science | page=251 | isbn=9781483284859 | via=Google Books}}</ref> Initial [[Device yield|yields]] of the R6000 were very poor, leading to parts shortages for [[MIPS Computer Systems]]; the latter company attributed their first quarterly loss in October 1990 to BIT.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Manning | first=Jeff | date=October 22, 1990 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A9133208/GPS?sid=wikipedia | title='Modest' loss tied to Beaverton firm's production lag | journal=Business Journal-Portland | publisher= American City Business Journals | volume=7 | issue=34 | page=11 | via=Gale}}</ref> The two signed an agreement in June 1991 to allow BIT to market the R6000 on the open market, dissolving the previous exclusivity agreement with MIPS.<ref name=agreement>{{cite journal | last=Manning | first=Jeff | date=June 24, 1991 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A10917649/GPS?sid=wikipdia | title=Licensing agreement may restore shine to BIT's performance | journal=Business Journal-Portland | publisher= American City Business Journals | volume=8 | issue=17 | page=1 | via=Gale}}</ref>

Under its new president Fred Hanson, BIT had its first profitable year in 1991,<ref name=agreement /> reaching peak revenues of $20&nbsp;million. Revenues dropped the following year to about $10&nbsp;million, however, after it had lost four of its largest customers, including MIPS, Floating Point, and [[Control Data Corporation|Control Data]].<ref>{{cite journal | last=Manning | first=Jeff | date=December 21, 1992 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A13305626/GPS?sid=wikipdia | title=BIT layoffs drag on, new investors sought | journal=Business Journal-Portland | publisher= American City Business Journals | volume=9 | issue=43 | page=1 | via=Gale}}</ref> The company eventually entered the [[telecommunications]] market with [[Asynchronous Transfer Mode|Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)]] devices and [[Ethernet]] switches. The company was acquired by [[PMC-Sierra]] in September 1996 for these later communications products.<ref name=acquired>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=September 9, 1996 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/209718921/ | title=Sierra purchases Bit | journal=Electronic News | publisher=International Publishing Corporation | volume=42 | issue=2133 | page=2 | via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Wirbel | first=Loring | date=December 8, 1997 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/208110116/ | title=PMC-Sierra unveils Exact bus, switching fabric | journal=Electronic Engineering Times | publisher=CMP Publications | issue=984 | page=50 | via=ProQuest}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons cat|Bipolar Integrated Technology}}

{{Tech-company-stub}}

[[Category:1983 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:1996 disestablishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1996]]
[[Category:Beaverton, Oregon]]
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 1996]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Oregon]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States]]