According to data from IC Insights, more than 30 semiconductor acquisition agreements with a combined value of $32 billion were made last year, up 22% on 2018.
That represents the third-highest annual total ever and was driven by an uptick in consolidation as larger suppliers struck deals to add new products and technologies to drive growth, such as machine-learning and artificial intelligence, computer vision and high-speed wireless connection.
The figures show that the number of deals worth over $1bn also jumped and include: Infineon’s planned purchase of Cypress Semiconductor for $9.4 billion, Nvidia’s $6.9 billion deal for Mellanox, and Intel’s $2.0 billion purchase of the AI-chip developer Habana Labs .
While this certainly represents strong growth the figure remains well down on the +$100bn that was spent in 2015 and 2016 and hardly constitutes a ‘boom’.
What we are seeing, however, is a return to more ‘normal’ levels of growth.
