Founded more than 25 years ago, Xilinx the semiconductor company, whose programmable chips can be found in 3D televisions, mobile communications equipment and even on board the Mars Rover space mission, has allowed its hardwire.com domain name to expire.
Hardwire.com, originally registered in the mid-nineties, expired on 11/27/2010 and is pending renewal or deletion. The expiration comes years after the company discontinued its HardWire line of products in February 2003.
The name is now up for auction on NameJet with the high pre-bid topping $1,000.
Could Xilinx, whose own domain name was first registered in 1991, have just simply forgotten to renew the name?
Whatever the reason, don’t expect Hardwire.com to go for cheap. There are a number of uses and products for Hardwire – and at the time of this story, there are over 130 bidders angling to be the new owners.