National Semiconductor To Acquire Cyrix

National Semiconductor Corp. said Monday it agreed to buy Cyrix Corp. in a stock deal valued at $550 million, putting National on the map as an Intel Corp. competitor. The move by National is also a big bet by the stodgy semiconductor company on the future of super-cheap personal computers and so-called information appliances. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based National is mostly known for its older, analogue components, and more recently for networking chips. The companies said they plan to develop new computer chip technology aimed at the low-cost personal computer - the sub-$500 market - and the information-appliance markets.