A rumor is that yet another x86 startup company (as in Cyrix)
has opened shop on Freedom Circle (which by no coincidence,
is next-door to Transmeta). Dozens of tech companies tried to compete
in the x86 arena and all failed (including AMD in terms of
profitability).
The twist is that this x86 CPU will be based on photonic technology.
Photonics opens a world of design and architecture possibilities,
as compared to an electronic device where power dissipation
has historically limited architectural enhancements/innovations.