Editing Exponential Technology

{{Infobox company
| name = Exponential Technology
| logo = Exponential Technology logo.svg
| type = 
| industry = Semiconductor design
| former_name = Renaissance Microsystems
| founded = {{Start date and age|1993}}
| founders = {{ubl|George Taylor|Jim Blomgren}}
| defunct = {{End date|1997}}
| fate = 
| num_employees = 
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| website = {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970707024919/http://www.exp.com/|title=exp.com}}
}}
'''Exponential Technology''' (originally '''Renaissance Microsystems''') was a vendor of [[PowerPC]] [[microprocessor]]s. The company was founded by George Taylor and Jim Blomgren in 1993. The company's plan was to use [[BiCMOS]] technology to produce very fast processors for the [[Apple Computer]] market. Logic used 3-level ECL circuits (single-ended for control logic, and differential for datapaths) while RAM structures used CMOS. Rick Shriner was the [[CEO]]. Their chips were manufactured by [[Hitachi, Ltd.|Hitachi]].

Their product, the Exponential '''[[X704]]''', was advertised to run at 533&nbsp;MHz, but the first version of the device only ran at about 400&nbsp;MHz, still significantly faster than the 233&nbsp;MHz [[PowerPC 600#PowerPC 604e|PowerPC 604e]] used in Macintosh computers at the time. This lower frequency along with small level-one [[CPU cache|caches]], produced systems which had good but not stellar performance.  This allowed [[Motorola]] (Apple's traditional processor vendor), to convince the computer maker that Motorola's future roadmap would produce processors with similar performance, hence making it less attractive for Apple to rely on the small [[startup company]] for critical technology.

Due to Apple's financial problems at the time, Exponential starting marketing the device to [[Apple Macintosh]] clone makers such as [[Power Computing]] and [[UMAX Technologies|UMAX]].

In order to diversify into other markets, a second design team was started under [[Paul Nixon (engineer)|Paul Nixon]] in [[Austin, TX]] to build a BiCMOS [[Intel]] [[x86]] processor.

Due to Apple's decision to close off the Macintosh clone market, Exponential ran out of possible customers for their chips. The company closed in 1997, though the Texas design team run by Paul Nixon continued on as EVSX.  EVSX changed its name to [[Intrinsity|Intrinsity, Inc.]] in 2000<ref>"EVSX Announces Name Change And Technology Focus," {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001213173800/http://linuxpr.com/releases/1885.html Linux PR]}}, May 24, 2000</ref> and was purchased by Apple in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vance |first=Ashlee |author-link=Ashlee Vance |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/technology/28apple.html |title=Apple Buys Intrinsity, a Maker of Fast Chips |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2010-04-27 |accessdate=2012-01-10}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970707024919/http://www.exp.com/|title=Official website}}
* [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=641683 IEEE paper on the processor], IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, November 1997

[[Category:1993 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1997 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1993]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1993]]
[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States]]