MIPS technologies has reported that it is planning to make the Android platform available on its MIPS architecture. MIPS (or Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages) is a RISC architecture developed by MIPS Technologies. MIPS implementations are currently primarily used in many embedded systems such as the Windows CE devices and video game consoles like the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation.
MIPS technologies announced that it will make its source code available for the public in 60 days time, for the development of applications. The MIPS announcement stated, “With the MIPS ecosystem around Android, OEMs will be able to quickly optimize Android for their specific platforms.”
“By releasing Android to open source, Google created the opportunity for widespread proliferation of the Android platform, and now the work the OESF is doing will help drive the platform in new directions,” Art Swift, MIPS’s VP of marketing, said “We look forward to playing a key role in proliferating Android into digital consumer devices.”
Commentary: This move will prove to be a big boost for the Android platform. MIPS platform was used in the early Pocket-PC days and then it was replaced by the ARM infrastructure. It would be interesting to see what MIPS platform brings to the Android scene
[via informationweek]