Apple Inc. has reportedly reached a deal to purchase P.A. Semi Inc., a company specialized in designing power-efficient processors, a spokesperson announced on Wednesday.

The companies didn’t provide many details about the agreement. Apple Inc did not say how it plans to use the company’s technology arguing that this was the company policy.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not comment on our purpose or plans,” said Apple spokesman Steve Dowling.

However, P.A. Semi’s technology would be appropriate for the production of power-thrifty devices like laptops or even the iPhone.

The Cupertino, California-based multinational corporation reportedly paid $278 million for P.A. Semi, a privately-owned company which has 150 employees; it’s based in Santa Clara, California and was founded in 2003 by Dan Dobberpuhl, the lead designer of the DEC Alpha series of processors.

The first to report the purchase was Forbes.com.

P.A. Semi’s PowerPC-based chip is well known for the high performance and low energy requirements. This could help Apple in building up its iPod and iPhone lineup

In its three-year history, P.A. Semi worked to develop very energy-efficient microprocessors and did a good job. In February 2007, the company came up with a new dual-core processor comparable to Intel chips, but not when it comes to energy efficiency. P.A. Semi’ microprocessors are reportedly 300 percent more efficient than comparable chips.

Apple’s move could have an impact on Intel, which would have wanted to get its new chip Atom into future iPods and iPhones.

The PWRficient processor made by P.A. Semi targets industrial markets such as networking equipment, high-volume storage devices and military applications.

Apple’s second quarter fiscal result surpassed Wall Street estimations. The corporation’s sales jumped 43 percent and profits rose 36 percent. Shares of the Mac and iPod maker fell 58 cents to $162.31 in after-hours trading.