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As luck would have it, the Intel/STM memory spin-off got a new name during SEMICON West, though I must admit I only noticed the other day. My gut feeling said they might do it at this time but must also admit to not having any insider info on that one.

The $3.6 billion new entity remains in the red for the time being, but then again Rome wasn't built in a day!

On the other hand, at least Rome was given a name!

I found this quote in relation to the naming of the spin-off rather amusing!

"We want the industry to see that we are already hard at work to create a significant, agile and energetic new company and what better way to convey that than to give it a name," said Brian Harrison, Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Flash Memory Group and CEO-designate.

I wonder whether Brian had been told that it didn't have a name in the first place?

Oh! The name is Numonyx by the way. Good thing then they didn't call it Romonyx!

The other earth shattering re-branding from the show involved BOC Edwards, the unloved ex-division of BOC that was bought by The Linde Group and put up for sale straight away.

The new owners CCMP Capital must have taken all of two seconds on the re-branding, saving a few hundred thousand dollars by not employing branding experts.

I can reveal that the BOC Edwards name has gone, but only to be replaced with ‘Edwards.' The press release said the name change was ‘effective immediately.' And indeed it should have immediate effect, otherwise I would have grown a little worried as to why such a massive change was taking so long!