Integrated Device Technology - Definition and Overview

IDT was founded in 1980 as a semiconductor vendor. Employing over 3000 people the company both designs and fabricates semiconductor components.

The current specialities of the company are semiconductors for network processing, in particular packet inspection products for firewalls.

Historically IDT manufactured MIPS processors and also for a while its own x86 processor designed by its Centaur Technology subsidiary called the IDT WinChip. It has also been a supplier of specialized memory chips such as Static Random Access Memory and FIFOs.

The company shares are publicly traded under the Nasdaq symbol IDTI and value the company at approximately 1 billion dollars[1] (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=IDTI) at the beginning of 2005.

According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Integrated Device Technology threatened the State of California that the company would move out of state if a ballot was passed on a measure called "Proposition 211" which was designed to introduce extra corporate oversight prior to the scandals of the late 1990s and early 21st century¹. The proposition was subsequently defeated by 25.6% to 74.4%².

References

1. `Frivolous' lawsuit initiative draws fire (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1996/08/26/story4.html), Lorna Fernandes, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 1996/08/23, retrieved 2005/01/03 from http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1996/08/26/story4.html
2. 1996 General Election Returns for Ballot Propositions (http://vote96.ss.ca.gov/Vote96/html/vote/prop/page.961218083528.html), California Secretary of State Website for 1996 general election (http://vote96.ss.ca.gov/) retrieved 2005/01/03 from http://vote96.ss.ca.gov/Vote96/html/vote/prop/page.961218083528.html