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)

}}

Bipolar Integrated Technology, Inc. (BIT), later Bit, Inc., was a privately held{{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}} 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.{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=1986 | 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= | page=196 | via=Google Books}}{{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}}{{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}} The company, which occupied a 46,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the Oregon Graduate Center,{{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= | page=2 | via=Gale}} raised $36 million in start-up capital within three years of its foundation.{{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= | page=1 | via=Gale}}

File:BIT B2110 die.jpg

The initial product was a 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).{{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}} They also produced the R6000 MIPS ECL microprocessor, which did reach production as a MIPS minicomputer.{{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}} Initial 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}}

Under its new president Fred Hanson, BIT had its first profitable year in 1991, reaching peak revenues of $20 million. Revenues dropped the following year to about $10 million, however, after it had lost four of its largest customers, including MIPS, Floating Point, and Control Data.{{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}} The company eventually entered the telecommunications market with Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) devices and Ethernet switches. The company was acquired by PMC-Sierra in September 1996 for these later communications products.{{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}}{{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}}