"We intend to be the power-management supplier of choice for easier-to-design solutions for design engineers," said Alun Roberts, TI's worldwide marketing director for analog products. The move is believed to be fueled in large part by TI's strategy to spread its DSPs into the high-growth portable-systems markets.

With the acquisition come high expectations for some unique power-management solutions and perhaps a redefining of the game itself. If all goes well, the TI-Unitrode connection, a surprising alliance to many, may well be a primary contender as a "one-stop shop."

While other competitors with pieces of the overall puzzle in hand are not standing still, TI brings access to markets, global reach and high technology to the table. At the other end, Unitrode's "leadership design skills," as Roberts called them, are intended to boost TI's ability to provide the latest supervisory ICs, PWM control/supply chips and charge pumps from the plug to the processor, from desktop to wireless.

Indeed, Unitrode (Merrimack, N.H.) brings considerable portable expertise to this leapfrogging scenario. The company bought Dallas-based Benchmarq last year in another "surprising" deal to get a leg up in the smart-battery-IC market. Presence in all of those markets, segments and niches appears designed to bring TI closer to its ultimate goal: being the clear leader in analog.

What does this mean for the design engineer? While even near-term developments are uncertain, the companies hope a "synergy of brainpower," as Unitrode chief executive Bob Richardson termed it, will quickly take hold. He said that the future lies with placing more on a much smaller, optimally sized die.

That suggests that system designers will see some rather unique devices during the next year or two, and perhaps even some new perspectives on approaches to power management.