Amberwave And Primarion Get In The ChipsAmberwave And Primarion Get In The Chips

Despite the IT slowdown, cutting-edge microprocessor designers are attracting big bucks from private investors. Both Amberwave Systems in Salem, N.H., which designs chips that use a faster form of silicon, and Primarion, a Tempe, Ariz., developer of chips for input/output and advanced broadband applications, landed venture funding last week.

Amberwave raised $25 million in second-round money from a group that includes Adams Capital Management and Dow Chemical. Amberwave develops chips around strained silicon, which transmits electrons faster than conventional silicon and in turn produces faster processing speeds.

Primarion secured $47 million in third-round backing from a group led by Lehman Bros. and Intersil. Intel also took part. Primarion's processors are designed to increase bandwidth. Its input/ output offerings are used in data communications systems.