Chipmaker Transmeta Corp. (the employer of Linus Torvalds) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to allow Chinese 2000 Holdings Ltd. to develop and market Transmeta's Midori Linux operating system for mobile and embedded devices in China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Hong Kong, Macau, and… Taiwan. The agreement exemplifies Transmeta's “aggressive push into the Chinese market and other key Asia-Pacific countries,” which the company is making “a significant aspect of its growth plans,” Transmeta said.

In addition to the development and marketing arrangement, Transmeta said the agreement gives it an equity ownership in Chinese 2000 Holdings and a multi-year profit sharing arrangement relating to the sale of Midori Linux-based services and support.

“Linux has emerged as an important operating system in China and the region,” Transmeta said, in a statement. To capitalize on that growth, Transmeta said it is “combining its Linux expertise with that of Chinese 2000 Holdings to support a range of innovative mobile and embedded products that are already implementing or plan to use Transmeta's energy efficient processors.” These products typically include “competitively priced” notebooks, ultra personal computers, and set-top boxes, as well as many other potential applications, the company said.

“One of Transmeta's top priorities is to support customer needs in the Chinese market and other major Asian regions,” said Transmeta CEO and president Dr. Matthew R. Perry. “Transmeta's unique combination of microprocessor, system-level, and Linux expertise, coupled with Chinese 2000 Holdings' experience in the Asian markets, make a formidable partnership. Together, we offer our customers a comprehensive approach to Linux-based computing,” Perry added.

According to Transmeta, Chinese 2000 Holdings has a focus on developing low cost, high quality, and multi-cultural network environment and information infrastructure, and on providing foundational technology, product, and solution software for use in Chinese language speaking regions. The company's mission is to further develop and enhance the Chinese Linux-based operating system for mobile and embedded computing products to provide quality and economic choice for users in Asia, Transmeta said.

Transmeta introduced Midori Linux in March 2001 as an adjunct to its Crusoe microprocessor, enabling device makers to take advantage of Linux compatibility, energy efficiency, low thermals, and a small resource footpring. One of the company's key contributions to Midori Linux has been the creation of ACPI power management states, which are important to products requiring minimal power consumption, Transmeta said.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.