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- June 30 2008
Virage Logic Corp. has acquired Impinj Inc.'s logic non-volatile memory (NVM) IP business for $5.2 million. Virage Logic has hired approximately 30 former Impinj employees who were responsible for that company's IP business. Impinj will now mainly focus on its RFID products.
- June 24 2008
Silicon Laboratories Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Integration Associates Inc. for $80 million.
The acquisition augments Silicon Labs' investments in short range wireless, a market that includes home automation, remote keyless entry and automated meter reading applications. Integration Associates' products will also accelerate Silicon Labs' expansion into the audio subsystem market.
- June 09 2008
Freescale Semiconductor announced that it has joined with several prominent venture capital firms to form an independent company focused on MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory). The new company, EverSpin Technologies, Inc., will continue to deliver and expand its current portfolio of standalone MRAM and related magnetic-based products. Freescale will transfer the MRAM technology, related intellectual property and products to EverSpin Technologies and will retain an equity position in the new venture. Freescale will continue to develop embedded products based on EverSpin's MRAM technology. EverSpin is backed by venture firms New Venture Partners, Sigma Partners, Lux Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Epic Ventures.
- June 05 2008
Zoran Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire France's Let It Wave, a fabless semiconductor company, for $27.6 million in cash. Let It Wave (Paris) develops technology for video frame rate conversion and image enhancement for flat panel televisions and other consumer electronics products.
- May 29 2008
Rohm Co., Ltd. and Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. announced that the two companies have reached a basic understanding of OKI spinning-off its semiconductor business through a company split, and transfer 95% of its issued shares to ROHM. The two companies will sign a definitive agreement based on the premise of OKI gaining approval of spinning-off the semiconductor business at its annual shareholder meeting.
ROHM was established in Kyoto Japan in 1958 and designs, manufactures and sells various types of semiconductors in consumer electronics, mobile phone and network industries and other applications.
Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. OKI provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its info-telecom system business, semiconductor business and printer business.
- May 19 2008
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. and Jazz Technologies, Inc. announced the signing of a definitive agreement by which Tower will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Jazz in a stock-for-stock transaction valuing Jazz at a fully diluted equity value of approximately $40 million. Under the terms of the agreement, each outstanding share of Jazz common stock will be converted into the right to receive 1.8 Tower ordinary shares. The total value of the transaction, including net debt, is approximately $169 million.
- May 07 2008
CopperGate Communications announced the purchase of the HomePlug AV business from Conexant Systems, Inc. CopperGate is now the first semiconductor company with home networking technologies supporting all three wire types – coax, phone and power lines.
CopperGate acquired the HomePlug AV business from Conexant including all relevant power line technology and silicon products, related patents, appropriate licenses, and requisite personnel. Former Conexant employees will become part of the CopperGate team and will expand the company’s R&D initiatives in Southern California.
- April 29 2008
China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) has reached an agreement with its foundry customers to exit the commodity DRAM business. SMIC makes DRAMs on a foundry basis for Germany's Qimonda AG. SMIC (Shanghai) will convert its DRAM production into logic throughout 2008.
- April 29 2008
NXP Semiconductors will acquire Conexant Systems Inc.'s set-top box business. The combined operations will create a top three player in digital video systems with the scale to establish a strong leadership position. The deal represents NXP's fourth acquisition since independence and is the first for its Home Business Unit.
- April 29 2008
EPCOS has acquired the activities of NXP Semiconductors Netherlands B.V. in the area of RF-MEMS (radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical systems). RF-MEMS are tiny mechanical elements that can be controlled and operated electronically. They will help to reduce the power consumption of mobile phones by up to 25 percent and improve the stability of their radio circuits. EPCOS is world market leader in RF filters. With RF-MEMS, the company is extending its portfolio of RF products.
- April 29 2008
NXP Semiconductors Netherlands B.V. and STMicroelectronics announced their agreement to combine key wireless operations to form a joint-venture company with strong relationships with all major handset manufacturers. The new company will have the scale to better meet customer needs in 2G, 2.5G, 3G, multimedia, connectivity and all future wireless technologies. The combined venture will be created from successful businesses that together generated $3B in revenue in 2007 and will own thousands of important communication and multimedia patents. The new company will be a solid top-three industry player and among the few companies with the scale and expertise to pursue the R&D investments necessary to establish itself as a leading player in the wireless and mobile-multimedia market.
The new company will be incorporated in the Netherlands and headquartered in Switzerland with approximately 9,000 employees worldwide.
- April 29 2008
Lite-On Technology has announced that it will sell its Digital Display business unit to Wistron Corporation, with the transaction expected to complete in the third quarter of 2008.
- April 29 2008
Infineon Technologies has acquired one hundred percent of Primarion Inc. Primarion is among the leaders in designing, manufacturing and marketing digital power ICs for computing, graphics and communication applications. Primarion is a fabless company, headquartered in Torrance, California.
- April 24 2008
Apple Computer Inc. has acquired PA Semi Inc., a supplier of embedded microprocessors, for $278 million in cash. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., P.A. Semi was established in 2003 by industry veterans to develop a high-performance, low-power processor family. P.A. Semi is headed by Dan Dobberpuhl, the acclaimed lead designer of the DEC Alpha series of microprocessors, the StrongARM microprocessor.
- April 21 2008
Micron Technology, Inc. and Nanya Technology Corporation announced that the two companies have signed an agreement to create MeiYa Technology Corporation, a new DRAM joint venture. Both parent companies will own 50 percent of the joint venture initially, and each will contribute USD $550 million in cash by the end of 2009.
- April 10 2008
NXP and STMicroelectronics will combine their wireless operations to form a joint venture company. ST will own 80 percent of the venture; NXP gets the other 20 percent along with $1.55 billion in cash from ST. The venture will be created from businesses that together generated $3 billion in revenue in 2007 and will own thousands of communication and multimedia patents. It is set to be one of the top three semiconductor companies in the wireless industry. The joint venture intends to address UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, USB, and UWB standards. It will also integrate the Silicon Laboratories' wireless and GloNav's GPS operations recently acquired by NXP. The company will be incorporated in the Netherlands and headquartered in Switzerland.
- April 07 2008
Icera Inc., the leader in software defined wireless modem chipsets, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to merge with Sirific Wireless, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in advanced CMOS RF transceivers. This will enable Icera to deliver a complete chipset solution for the mobile broadband market. The merged companies will use the Icera name.
- April 06 2008
Entropic Communications, Inc., a provider of silicon solutions to enable connected home entertainment, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Vativ Technologies, Inc., a San Diego-based, privately-held fabless semiconductor company specializing in innovative high-bandwidth, advanced digital signal processing solutions.
- April 05 2008
Diodes Inc., designing application-specific standard products for discrete and analog semiconductor markets, is acquiring Zetex PLC, a designer and manufacturer of high performance discrete and analog semiconductor solutions for a broad range of applications, including power management, drivers for LEDs, high performance digital audio solutions and control circuits for broadcasting over satellites.
- March 20 2008
Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Synplicity®, Inc., a leading supplier of innovative field programmable gate array (FPGA) and IC design and verification solutions that serve a wide range of communications, military/aerospace, semiconductor, consumer, computer, and other electronic applications markets.
- March 18 2008
Global Mixed-mode Technology (GMT) aquired Aimtron Technology. Founded in 1996, GMT creates analog ic design dedicated power solutions for Note Book PC, Server, Workstation and 3C consumer products including mobile phones, networking, LCD monitors and PDAs.
Aimtron Technology is specializing in mixed analog and digital IC design. Its current product lines include video ICs, motor driver ICs, and power management ICs.
- March 10 2008
Infineon Technologies AG entered into a definitive agreement, under which LSI Corporation will acquire Infineon's hard disk drive (HDD) business.
Under the terms of the agreement, LSI will purchase the Infineon HDD business, which designs, manufactures and markets semiconductors for HDD devices. Infineon will transfer its complete HDD activities, including customer relations as well as know-how and will grant an IP license. Also included in the transaction is a design service agreement. The transaction does not comprise significant assets and transfer of employees.
- March 10 2008
TriQuint Semiconductor, a leading RF supplier to the wireless communications industry and WJ Communications, Inc., announced a definitive agreement for TriQuint to acquire WJ. WJ is a leading supplier of radio frequency (RF) solutions for wireless infrastructure and will expand TriQuint’s reach into this market.
- March 05 2008
BOE HYDIS , a Korean based TFT-LCD manufacturer, recently named Taiwan-based Prime View Consortium as the preferred bidder for the corporate sell out.
Prime View Consortium consists of Taiwan-based TFT-LCD manufacturer Prime View International, and Hong-Kong-based ALCO Holdings and Varitronix International. Prime View International holds 78 percent of the Consortium’s equity, while ALCO Holdings and Varitronix International hold 11 percent each.
Prime View International Co., Ltd. is a TFT-LCD manufacturer headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
ALCO Holdings Ltd. is a AV equipment manufacturer headquartered in Hong Kong with production facility in China.
Varitronix International Ltd. is a LCD manufacturer headquartered in Hong Kong with production facility in China.
- February 07 2008
Atmel Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Quantum Research Group Ltd., an independent developer of capacitive sensing IP and solutions for user interfaces. The acquisition of Quantum provides Atmel with an immediate presence in touch sensing, one of the fastest growing markets for microcontrollers.
- February 07 2008
Power Integrations announced that it has acquired Potentia Semiconductor, a developer of controller chips for high-power AC-DC power supplies. Potentia's engineering team, based in Ottawa, Canada, will form the core of a new analog design group for Power Integrations focused primarily on high-power applications.
- January 15 2008
eSilicon Corporation announced that it has acquired the existing product lines and certain assets of SwitchCore AB, a provider of high-performance Ethernet network switching chips. As a result of the asset acquisition, eSilicon will assume responsibility for manufacturing SwitchCore's existing product lines, providing SwitchCore's customers with an uninterrupted supply of devices.
- January 10 2008
Microsemi Corp. has acquired substantially all of the assets of T.S.I. Microelectronics Corp. (TSI Microelectronics). Total consideration for TSI Microelectronics was $2 million in cash, which includes the company's cash position of approximately $0.6 million.
TSI Microelectronics was founded in 1974 to provide the U.S. Department of Defense and its OEM contractors with a source for custom hybrids and other special products used in mature, long-life defense and aerospace programs.
- January 03 2008
Leadis Technology Inc. has acquired Acutechnology Semiconductor Inc., a privately-held analog semiconductor company specializing in power management technologies for $5 million in cash.
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