ARM to buy out California chipmaker

ARM Holdings, a maker of "embedded" microprocessors used in gadgets such as cell phones and handhelds, on Tuesday announced that it plans to acquire Mountain View, Calif.-based Triscend, a 41-employee privately held company that specializes in configurable system-on-a-chip devices and microcontrollers. ARM said the deal will enable it to deliver 32-bit microcontroller products as manufacturers upgrade from 8- and 16-bit designs, a trend that it expects to grow substantially over the next few years. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

In July, ARM acquired Adelante Technologies Belgium, which specializes in optimizing performance and data throughput in processors.