The Virtual Component Exchange, an Internet-based swap meet for semiconductor intellectual-property licensing, is extending its reach with a tool that makes it possible to begin trades at company Web sites rather than only at the exchange. The VCX Gateway takes the form of a small piece of software, deliverable on a floppy disk, that serves as an agent residing on an Internet server. When a visitor clicks on tagged material at that server-typically the description of an intellectual-property (IP) core-a browser window pops up offering additional information about the core that potentially will lead the engineer to the VCX Web site.

"It's pushing the tools out to where they are needed," said Andy Travers, chief executive officer of VCX (Livingston, Scotland). "This way people don't have to go daily to the VCX to find new cores. What pops up is a window with high-level information about the IP core extracted from the VCX."

Although non-VCX members can access the VCX Gateway on a corporate site, they will not be allowed to proceed beyond a certain level without joining the VCX and gaining access to the VCX Transactionware software. Members can continue on to a full VCX session seamlessly, said Travers. Once within the organization's TradeFloor, licensees-both buyer and seller-can then use the Transactionware tool set to pursue technical, legal and business steps to complete a sale.

The VCX Gateway allows any Web site to be "transaction-enabled" to make the IP product information available. The first companies to deploy VCX Gateway technology are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (Hsinchu, Taiwan), which is making the IP-partner tables at (www.tsmc.com) transaction-enabled; and Sonics Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.), which is transaction-enabling the IP selection and evaluation features of its (www.socworks.com) site. "TSMC's IP partner-product tables represent one of the highest-traffic areas on our Web site," said Peyman Kazemkhani, corporate marketing director for TSMC's IP program. "We encourage all our IP partners to join the VCX and take advantage of this exciting new service."

"We envision the VCX Gateway becoming something like the Mastercard standard for IP transactions," said Travers, "giving buyers and sellers alike confidence in the efficiency, security and reliability of the process regardless of where the transaction is initiated."

The VCX Gateway software is delivered as a button in the e-Commerce Toolkit. The kit also includes the VCX Gateway Listing (in XML), plus the software code necessary to integrate the two sites. Travers said the software was being made available for a sum of a few thousand dollars.

Travers said that he expected most of VCX's 50 members would eventually deploy the VCX Gateway software. "The IP providers like it because they can put VCX functionality into their own Web site, where visitors are not distracted by competing offerings. Of course, most IP buyers want to see competition and will follow links to the VCX," said Travers. "It's really making the whole supply chain much more seamless."

The VCX uses browser-based tools for streamlining the IP procurement process. It currently has more than 30 virtual components in its public-listing section. Information is at (www.vcx.org) and at the exchange itself, (www.thevcx.com).