MemoryLogix Designs Miniscule X86 Core

A startup has dodged the tricky question of an Intel license by emulating an Intel X86 processor, hoping to become the engine perhaps driving a portable Xbox game console.

The MemoryLogix MLX1 appears to the outside world as a tiny Pentium with MMX. However, the core is actually an embedded ARM microprocessor, emulating the X86 and MMX instruction sets.

MemoryLogix is eyeing businesses that may prefer an X86 processor, but can't afford the electrical voraciousness of an embedded X86 processor. The tradeoff is that MemoryLogix doesn't provide total 100 percent X86 compatibility.

"It's more of a business decision," Song said, when asked if customers would shy away from a semi-proprietary part. "Our view is that...for some customers, incompatibility may be an issue, for others it may be fine."

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