Gemplus spins off - Brief Article

Electronics Times, May 8, 2000

Smartcard manufacturer Gemplus is spinning off the software side of its business to concentrate on hardware development.

The new company, ThinkPulse, will be based in San Jose and will develop Gemplus's smartX software, which allows standardisation between application platforms and operating systems. ThinkPulse aims to create an industry standard for multi-application smartcards.

Sixteen employees are leaving Gemplus to join the new company and the start-up's staff is expected to grow to 45 in its first year.

Alyxia Do, senior analyst at Frost & Sullivan, said: "The smartX platform's brawn is in its ability to enable any terminal - be it PC, PoS or mobile handset - for that future unknown application or unknown operating system via the on-line application library.

"Suddenly the whole debate to go Windows, Java or Multos is moot, and end users can concentrate again on what they do best: use smartcards to make better business."