Formation and Business of the Company

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Formation and Business of the Company

Formation and Business of the Company

Rambus Inc. (the “Company” or “Rambus”) was incorporated in California in March 1990 and reincorporated in Delaware in March 1997. In addition to licensing, the Company is creating new business opportunities through offering products and services where its goal is to perpetuate strong company operating performance and long-term stockholder value. The Company generates revenue by licensing its inventions and solutions, selling its semiconductor products and providing services to market-leading companies.     

While the Company has historically focused its efforts on the development of technologies for electronics memory and chip interfaces, the Company has expanded its portfolio of inventions and solutions to address additional markets in lighting, chip and system security, as well as new areas within the semiconductor industry, such as computational sensing and imaging. The Company intends to continue its growth into new technology fields, consistent with its mission to create great value through the Company's innovations and to make those technologies available through both its licensing and non-licensing business models. Key to the Company's efforts will be hiring and retaining world-class inventors, scientists and engineers to lead the development of inventions and technology solutions for its fields of focus, and the management and business support personnel necessary to execute its plans and strategies.