elerate, the handling of specific tasks that are encountered in network pro- cessing. To be more specific, several companies offer IP cores that seem to be suited for network pro- cessing and/or for certain associated computational tasks. Again, the fundamental idea is that companies that must or prefer to design their own fast-processing networking silicon should take close look at the cores offered and decide whether they should license one or more of these pieces of intellectual property. The detailed mechanics of a cost-based make-or-buy decision obviously go beyond the scope of this book. However, based on their analysis, some companies may discover that it does not always make sense to license a specific IP core for their network-processing design. In some other cases, it might not make much sense either from a technological or economic standpoint. As these decisions are largely subjective and often based on personal preferences, they reflect previous experience or bias on behalf of members of the company's senior technical management. Other companies may just as likely make the exact opposite decision. There are companies that offer for license IP cores for any function a person desires to license. IP cores can span the whole functionality spectrum from main CPUs and full-fledged digital signal cessing (DSP) cores all the way to exotic cryptographic functions, and from simple communication- protocol converters to highly specialized functions such as MPEG4 video-compression modules. We do not intend to elaborate on those aspects. Our discussion is limited to IP core issues that are rele- vant to network processing. The field of network processing consists of a few important IP-core contenders among several players. In this chapter, we will discuss the approach taken by MIPS Technologies Inc., ClearSpeed Technology, Tensilica, ARC Cores, and Improv Systems. Other vendors in this arena include estab- lished companies such as IBM Microelectronics (www.chips.ibm.com) and Motorola (www.motorola. com), which lice