December 28 2010:
Arkados Inc., one of the pioneers of powerline communication technology, co-founding member of HomePlug Powerline Alliance, and a key player in recent establishment of IEEE 1901 powerline communication standard, announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell its semiconductor business to STMicroelectronics, Inc. STMicroelectronics will pay Arkados $11 million under the agreement, out of which it has already made an initial payment of $7 million in exchange for a license from Arkados. A portion of this payment was applied by Arkados to settle approximately $12 million of $20 million of outstanding secured debt. The parties expect to complete this transaction in the first quarter of 2011.November 30 2010:
Broadcom Corporation acquired Israeli image processing vendor Sightic Vista Ltd.
Sightic specializes in software and hardware image processing and enhancement solutions, and their integration into high quality, miniature digital cameras and video applications.
November 22 2010:
Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Gigle Networks Inc., a privately-held company that develops system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for home networking over power lines.
Powerline networking uses existing electrical wiring to create an in-home network, enabling a cost-effective and efficient method to connect multiple devices and distribute digital content throughout the home. Gigle Networks' powerline networking technology is HomePlug AV certified and is designed to be compliant with the IEEE 1901 standard for high speed powerline communications. Gigle Networks is a member of the HomePlug® Powerline Alliance, an organization responsible for establishing standards and testing devices for compliance and interoperability. HomePlug AV and IEEE 1901 solutions complement other networking technologies for the connected home. For example, a combined home network of powerline networking, MoCA and Wi-Fi enhances advanced applications like high definition video streaming, enabling a whole-home connected environment.
November 16 2010:
SMSC (Standard Microsystems Corporation) announced that it has acquired Symwave, Inc. (Symwave), a global fabless semiconductor company supplying high-performance analog/mixed-signal connectivity solutions utilizing proprietary technology, IP and silicon design capabilities. Symwave's suite of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant products and core technology deliver up to 10 times the speed of USB 2.0 devices and target external storage, cellular phones, media players, camcorders, digital cameras and other applications requiring high-speed data transfer capabilities. End products based on Symwave's storage controller were the industry's first to achieve the USB-IF's USB 3.0 certification in December 2009.November 04 2010:
Qualcomm Inc. acquired Sandbridge Technologies Inc. for about $55 million.
Sandbridge was founded in 2001 and was a fabless chip company that developed a software defined multicored processor design for baseband and multimedia processing in 3G and 4G handsets.
October 29 2010:
Canesta, Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to have its products, technology, intellectual property, customer contracts, and other resources acquired by the Microsoft Corporation. Canesta is a leader in 3-D sensing technology which is critical to making Natural User Interfaces (NUI) possible.
Canesta is the inventor of revolutionary, low cost electronic perception technology and leading provider of single chip CMOS 3-D sensors that fundamentally change the relationship between devices and their users. This capability makes possible true 3-D perception as input to everyday devices, rather than the widely understood 3-D representational technologies as output. Canesta's 3-D input technology, based upon tiny, CMOS 3-D imaging chips or "sensors", enables fine-grained, 3-dimensional depth-perception in a wide range of applications.
October 26 2010:
Broadcom Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Percello Ltd., a privately-held company that develops system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for femtocells.
Femtocells are small, low power cellular base stations that extend coverage indoors where signals are weak. Used primarily in residential and enterprise business settings, femtocells communicate with a service provider's network through a broadband connection, allowing users to continue using their mobile devices without losing connectivity.
October 22 2010:
PMC-Sierra Inc., an Internet infrastructure semiconductor solution provider, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wintegra Inc., a provider of highly integrated network processors optimized for mobile backhaul equipment.
Wintegra has 165 employees with the majority of its R&D development team located in Ra'anana, Israel, and Austin, Texas. The acquisition of Wintegra expands PMC-Sierra's presence in Israel, where its FTTH business is based.
Under the terms of the deal, PMC-Sierra will pay Wintegra $240 million in cash consideration less an estimated net cash amount of $27 million on Wintegra's balance sheet at time of closing, for a net purchase price of $213 million. PMC-Sierra intends to use its existing balance sheet cash to finance the acquisition. Further, up to an additional $60 million of cash consideration may be paid if certain growth and performance milestones are reached by the end of 2011.
October 14 2010:
Broadcom Corp. announced the acquisition of Beceem Communications Inc. for approximately $316 million net of cash.
Beceem Communications Inc. is a marketleader in the mobile 4G-WiMAX market.
October 12 2010:
Silicon Laboratories Inc. announced the acquisition of Ireland-based ChipSensors Limited, a company creating innovative single-chip CMOS sensors designed to detect temperature, humidity and gases. ChipSensors' technology complements Silicon Labs' touch, proximity sensing and recently acquired MEMS technology, expanding the company’s capabilities in CMOS-based sensors.October 04 2010:
Microsemi Corporation, a manufacturer of analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, semiconductors and RF subsystems, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Actel Corporation for $20.88 per share through a cash tender offer. The total transaction value is approximately $430 million, net of Actel's projected cash balance at closing.
Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Actel is a leading supplier of low-power, mixed-signal, and radiation-tolerant field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) serving the Mil/Aero, Industrial, Communication, and Consumer markets. The company is the leader in the Satellite and Space markets as a result of its deep knowledge of radiation tolerance, space-level qualifications, and its long history of service excellence.September 24 2010:
PLX Technology, Inc. announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Teranetics, Inc., a privately held fabless provider of high-performance mixed-signal semiconductors.
Teranetics' corporate headquarters are located in San Jose, California. Founded in 2003, Teranetics provides state-of-the-art silicon solutions that enable 10 Gigabit rates over widely installed low-cost CAT6 and CAT6a cabling.
September 15 2010:
Microsemi Corp. has acquired the assets of VT Silicon. Microsemi manufactures high performance analog mixed signal integrated circuits, high reliability semiconductors and radio frequency (RF) subsystems. VT Silicon designs and manufactures multi-band RFIC solutions for the mobile wireless broadband market. VT Silicon leverages its patented linearization technologies with silicon germanium to build low cost, highly integrated, high performance RF Front End products.September 08 2010:
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. announced today that it has acquired privately held Phyworks Ltd. for approximately $72.5 million in cash.
Phyworks Ltd., a privately held company founded in 2001 and based in Bristol, UK, is a
developer of high-speed communications chips designed to significantly cut the cost of 10
Gbps and below copper and optical interconnects. Its primary investors are Add Partners,
Advent Venture Partners, Atlas Ventures, and DFJ Esprit.September 08 2010:
Zoran Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Microtune®, Inc. Under the agreement, Zoran will pay $2.92 in cash for each share of Microtune's common stock, resulting in a transaction price of approximately $166 million, or $84 million net of cash acquired. Both boards of directors have approved the transaction, which is expected to close after Microtune shareholder approval, regulatory clearance and satisfaction of customary conditions specified in the agreement. Zoran expects the acquisition to be accretive immediately following the close of the deal, which is expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2010.September 07 2010:
AuthenTec, a provider of security, identity management and touch control solutions, and privately-held UPEK, a supplier of fingerprint solutions for consumer, business and government applications, announced that the companies have combined, creating the world's largest provider of fingerprint sensors and identity management software, as well as biometric and embedded security solutions. AuthenTec will remain headquartered in Melbourne, Florida and will be led by newly named CEO Larry Ciaccia, who previously served as AuthenTec’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
August 30 2010:
Intel purchases Infineon's Wireless Solutions Business, called WLS, in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.August 19 2010:
Applied Micro Circuits Corporation, or AppliedMicro announced that it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to acquire TPACK A/S of Copenhagen, Denmark. Applied Micro Circuits will pay $32 million in cash plus up to $5 million in cash earn-outs that are dependent primarily upon TPACK revenues and product development milestones scheduled over the next eighteen months.
TPACK's SOFTSILICON(TM) products support the fastest deployment of new carrier-class packet and optical network standards with the greatest flexibility for Tier 1 equipment vendors.August 19 2010:
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. announced that it has acquired the intellectual property and assets of privately-held Diseno de Sistemas en Silicio SA (DS2), a fabless supplier of powerline communications ICs based in Valencia, Spain.August 16 2010:
Intel Corporation announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Texas Instruments' cable modem product line.
All employees of Texas Instruments' cable modem team received offers to join Intel at sites in their home countries, primarily Israel, and will become part of Intel's Digital Home Group. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.July 28 2010:
CSR plc, also known as Cambridge Silicon Radio, announced the acquisition of Belfast-based APT Licensing Ltd, following a successful three year collaboration under the CSR eXtension Partner Programme, which saw APTX’s professional quality audio compression brought to consumers on CSR's wireless audio platforms. The acquisition enables a tighter integration of the apt-X low latency audio compression CODECs with CSR’s next generation audio products. The acquisition also enables CSR to substantially strengthen its offering in the growing real-time streaming audio market for mobile and wireless consumer applications and support its expansion into broader audio markets.July 26 2010:
NXP Semiconductors announced its acquisition of Jennic, a developer of low power RF solutions for wireless applications in smart energy, environment, logistics and consumer markets. The acquisition will see Jennic's state-of-the-art portfolio of 802.15.4 and Zigbee low power RF solutions integrated across a wide range of NXP's High Performance Mixed Signal products. Together, this provides NXP with a comprehensive wireless semiconductor platform for emerging technologies including eMetering, smart lighting, building automation, asset tracking and device remote controls.July 20 2010:
Atheros Communications, Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Opulan Technologies Corp., a privately held Chinese fabless semiconductor company specializing in solutions for passive optical networking (PON) and broadband access aggregation (MUX).July 15 2010:
ON Semiconductor Corporation and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. announced the signing of a definitive purchase agreement providing for the acquisition of SANYO Semiconductor Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SANYO Electric, and other assets related to SANYO Electric's semiconductor business. The acquisition is expected to be completed before the end of 2010.July 06 2010:
Renesas Electronics Corporation is to acquire Nokia Corporation's wireless modem business for approximately USD 200 million.
The wireless modem business to be transferred to Renesas Electronics includes Nokia's wireless modem technologies for LTE, HSPA and GSM standards, which have been used for billions of handsets in the global market over the years. Further, Nokia transfers Renesas Electronics certain patents related to the transferred technology asset. The planned transfer would also include approximately 1'100 Nokia R&D professionals, the vast majority of whom are located in Finland, India, the UK and Denmark.June 21 2010:
National Semiconductor Corp. announced it has acquired the technology of GTronix Inc., a fabless semiconductor company specializing in programmable and adaptive analog sensory processing technology.
GTronix's solutions enhance audio user-interface and voice processing and are well suited for applications where small form factor, low power, low latency and undistorted signals are critical. Its proprietary technology provides very low power solutions for noise cancellation in mobile applications such as wireless handsets and audio accessories.June 21 2010:
On June 1st 2009 Prime View International [PVI] announced to acquire E Ink Corporation. On June 21 2010 Prime View International (PVI) said it has changed its name to E Ink Holdings and all products will be sold under the brand name of E Ink.June 09 2010:
ON Semiconductor Corporation announced it has acquired privately held Sound Design Technologies, Ltd. (SDT) from an affiliate of Global Equity Capital, LLC, in an all cash transaction for initial consideration of approximately $22 million.
SDT is a designer and manufacturer of ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions for hearing aids and portable, battery-powered DSP applications, and a provider of advanced high density interconnect technologies used in custom miniaturized packages. Based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, SDT has a 37-year history of innovation in developing miniaturized audio processors. The hearing instrument products and manufacturing operations of Gennum Corporation were acquired in 2007 to form SDT.
April 28 2010:
Silicon Laboratories Inc. announced the acquisition of Silicon Valley-based Silicon Clocks.
Silicon Clocks pioneered the development of a MEMS process technology that allows for the fabrication of MEMS resonators and other sensor structures directly on top of standard CMOS wafers. This approach will eliminate the need for boutique semiconductor processing and enables new levels of performance, integration, and size by eliminating the electrical parasitics and packaging issues associated with traditional solutions that co-package a standalone MEMS device and an IC.April 12 2010:
Maxim Integrated Products Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Teridian Semiconductor Corp. for approximately $315 million in cash.
Teridian is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Irvine, Calif. It is a chip supplier to three of the top four major meter manufacturers in the U.S. and to over 50 meter manufacturers globally. Fromerly known as TDK Semiconductor Corp., the company changed the name to Teridian Semiconductor at the time private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, in partnership with the semiconductor management team of TDK, acquired the company from TDK-USA.
March 30 2010:
Microsemi Corporation, a manufacturer of analog mixed-signal integrated circuits and semiconductors, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire White Electronic Designs Corporation Corporation.
White Electronic is a leader in design, assembly, and test integration. They have extensive offerings and experience in Multi-Chip-On-Board solutions that are integrated into Defense and Aerospace applications. Their technology integrates surface mount technologies, microelectronics, and Anti Tamper technologies into one solution. Their market focus is where size, weight, and performance create a market advantage. A significant area of market expansion where they have developed unique technology is in the Anti Tamper market. This market is expanding rapidly as every major weapon system now requires this feature.
March 30 2010:
ABB, the power and automation technology group from Switzerland, has agreed to acquire the semiconductor business of Polovodice a.s. in the Czech Republic. The additional production capacity for high-power semiconductors will help ABB to cope with the expected rising demand fueled by growth in renewable energy and efforts to improve energy efficiency.
Polovodice a.s.has been making power semiconductors since the mid-1950s and had revenues in the low double-digit millions of US dollars, mostly from its power semiconductor activities. Together with the semiconductor assets, about 200 employees with strong technical capabilities will join ABB. The parties agreed not to disclose the value of the transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
March 22 2010:
Intersil Corporation announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Intersil to acquire Techwell Inc. through a cash tender offer at $18.50 per share.
Techwell Inc., with over 200 employees in the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and sells mixed signal video solutions for the security surveillance and automotive infotainment markets. Techwell's products enable the conversion of analog video signals to digital form and perform advanced digital video processing to facilitate the display, storage and transport of video content. Major applications using Techwell products include industrial DVRs, networked video recorders, multiplexers, as well as automotive front consoles, rearview mirrors and rear seat LCD displays.
March 11 2010:
Ralink Technology Corporation and TrendChip Technologies Corporation announced that a merger agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors to create a global technology leader in the home networking and broadband access semiconductor markets.
Ralink, founded in 2001, is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and operates an advanced development center in Cupertino, California. Ralink's 802.11n solutions are shipping with customers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and are embedded in hundreds of products across all major Wi-Fi market segments including personal computers, broadband gateways, digital televisions, Blu-Ray players, web cameras, and IPTV set-top-boxes.
TrendChip, also founded in 2001, is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and maintains development centers in Suzhou and Nanjing China. TrendChip is among the fastest growing xDSL CPE semiconductor suppliers in the market with over 90% growth in 2009. TrendChip's solutions have been deployed by 50 carriers in 45 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. With its high performance yet cost-effective xDSL solutions, TrendChip is on track to become the number 2 global xDSL CPE chip supplier in 2010.
February 26 2010:
IXYS Corporation announced the closing of its acquisition of Zilog, Inc. The closing of the acquisition followed the stockholders meeting of Zilog, Inc. on February 17, 2010, at which the acquisition was approved by the following vote: 12'635'022 shares were voted in favor; 11'565 shares were voted against; and 2'021 abstained. Zilog’s shares ceased trading.
Some 35 years ago Zilog was respected for being the cool kid on the block. It invented the Z80, the microprocessor of its time. The company was founded by Federico Faggin after he led the design of the first microprocessor at Intel, the 4004. Zilog became the first company solely dedicated to microprocessors. Today this era ends.February 18 2010:
SMSC, a semiconductor company providing Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity(TM) solutions, announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of Kleer Semiconductor Corporation (Kleer), a designer of high quality, interoperable wireless audio technology addressing headphones and earphones, home audio/theater systems and speakers, portable audio/media players and automotive sound systems. This transaction brings a robust, high-quality audio and low-power radio frequency (RF) capability that will allow consumer and automotive OEMs to integrate wireless audio technology into portable audio devices and sound systems without compromising high-grade audio quality or battery life, SMSC says.February 09 2010:
Micron Technology Inc. and Numonyx B.V. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Micron to acquire Numonyx.
Micron would acquire all assets of Numonyx - including intellectual property, facilities, fabs, and product lines. Numonyx brings a rich portfolio of NOR, MCP and phase-change memory products that complement Micron's memory portfolio. Micron and Numonyx will continue to operate independently through closing.February 03 2010:
Broadcom Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Teknovus, a supplier of Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) chipsets and software. EPON is a technology providing broadband services at up to 10 Gigabits per second over fiber optic cables. EPON represents approximately 94% of the Fiber-to-the-Home connections in the Asia Pacific region.January 14 2010:
IDT® (Integrated Device Technology, Inc.), a provider of mixed signal semiconductor solutions, announced it has acquired Mobius Microsystems, a developer of all-silicon oscillator technology . The transaction, which closed on January 14, 2010, is an all-cash agreement for the outstanding Mobius shares. The agreement has already received appropriate board approvals.January 12 2010:
The Comeback of Plessey Semiconductors
The management teams from Plus Semi in Swindon, England, and the former X-Fab facility in Plymouth, England, have relaunched as Plessey Semiconductors.
Plus Semi, a trading division of JSFM Consulting Ltd. (Lincoln, England), acquired the former Plessey wafer fab in Swindon and then purchased the former Plessey fab in Roborough, Plymouth from X-Fab Silicon Foundries GmbH.
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics.
In 1989 it was taken over by a consortium formed by GEC and Siemens AG which broke up the Plessey group.
In 1997 British Aerospace and Daimler-Benz Aerospace acquired the UK operations and German part of Siemens Plessey Systems. GEC acquired Siemens' 40% interest in GEC-Plessey Telecommunications the same year, renaming it Marconi Communications.
GEC Plessey Semiconductors was purchased by Mitel Semiconductors of Canada in 1998. After a number of downsizes, including the power semiconductor and silicon on sapphire operation at Lincoln, Lincolnshire being purchased in January 2000 by Dynex Semiconductor, the company renamed itself Zarlink Semiconductor in 2001. The GEC Plessey Semiconductors fab in Plymouth was acquired by Xfab and still houses a small Zarlink test facility.
After the sale of the Roborough site to Xfab, the original Plessey Semiconductors site at Cheney Manor Swindon continued to operate under the Zarlink Semiconductor name until it was sold to MHS Industries in early 2008. In February 2009 the UK business was forced into receivership following the collapse of the parent MHS Electronics business in France. After a subsequent management buyout the company traded as Plus-Semi Ltd. The Roborough site was re-aquired from Xfab on the first of January 2010 and the company re-named as Plessey Semiconductors Ltd.January 12 2010:
Microchip Technology Inc. acquired ZeroG Wireless Inc.
ZeroG Wireless Inc. was founded in 2006 and is an embedded Wi-Fi fabless chip company developing Wi-Fi solutions.January 01 2010:
Lantiq, Infineon Technologies AG's wireline spinoff, announced its second acquisition shortly after becoming a stand-alone company. Lantiq acquired WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) related assets and intellectual property (IP) from Israel based Metalink Ltd., a provider of high performance wireless communication silicon solutions with the capability to deliver HD-video-streams over the 802.11n standard. The transaction was signed on December 30, 2009 and closing is expected for end of January 2010. The purchase price is up to US $16.9 million; including an $8.9 million initial payment and an up to $8 million additional payment based on future performance.
Metalink really has developed an outstanding multi-stream technology, which is very successful in today's video-bridging environment.
On November 16, 2009 - Lantiq announced the successful closing of the acquisition of Home Networking and DSL related assets and intellectual property (IP) from Massachusetts based Aware Inc.
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