Silicon Labs buys Ember, targets ‘internet of things’
1 min read
Silicon Laboratories has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ZigBee specialist Ember for $72million. The acquisition is said to complement Silicon Labs' portfolio and gives it the opportunity to address a market predicted to be worth $600m by 2016.
Ember has pioneered the ZigBee market and its design team is said to include some of the most experienced talent in embedded radios. Its products integrate high performance, low power 2.4GHz wireless chips with scalable networking software. The combination of the companies' products will bring together mcu, power and isolation technology, sensors and wireless radios.
"Silicon Labs has consistently demonstrated a successful track record of integrating high performance, low power rf and mixed signal ics in cmos and ramping them into high volume markets," said Tyson Tuttle, pictured, president and ceo of Silicon Laboratories. "This acquisition ... accelerates our ability to offer complete system solutions to our customers."
In particular, the move is thought to open the 'internet of things' market to Silicon Labs. "We believe our track record and technology leadership in ZigBee based systems, combined with Silicon Labs' broad portfolio and focus on establishing a market leading business in embedded wireless, will enable our customers and the internet of things market to grow faster," said Ember's ceo Bob LeFort.
