BIOS specialist Phoenix Technologies has sold its virtualization division to HP for $12m.

HP gets assets related to HyperSpace, HyperCore and Phoenix Flip client virtualization products.

Phoenix was founded in 1979 and said it January it wanted to sell off non-core assets and return its attention to BIOS. In April it sold off FailSafe and Freeze. Unfortunately for Freeze users, the buyer decided shortly afterwards to stop supporting the product.

Exactly what HP intends to do with the technologies it has acquired is unclear. However, real instant on technology is one of the Holy Grails of the client technology business. And $12m is, of course, peanuts to HP.

Way back in the middle of the decade pushing into other areas seemed a good idea for Phoenix, if only because Intel seemed intent on encroaching further on the traditional BIOS vendors' turf. Sometimes things don't just pan out.

Phoenix claims to have over 200 patents awarded or pending. Its firmware has shipped in over one billion computers.

Full release here. ®