Wednesday, June 23, 2010

ITC Confirms MPS Patent Victory Against O2 Micro

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) (Nasdaq: MPWR), a leading fabless manufacturer of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced the U.S. International Trade Commission issued a final determination finding no violation of Section 337 by MPS or its customers in an action brought by O2 Micro International, Ltd. in 2008. An ITC administrative law judge had previously issued an initial determination in April that also found no violation. The ITC's final determination concludes that none of MPS' accused products infringe O2 Micro's U.S. Patent No. 7,417,382 (the '382 patent).

In a related district court action, which is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, O2 Micro has filed a motion to dismiss its claims for infringement of the '382 patent, with prejudice, and has covenanted not to sue MPS or any MPS distributors or customers for infringement of the '382 patent based on any past and current MPS products. MPS expects to seek attorney fees against O2 Micro once the judgment is entered dismissing the action.

MPS is represented in this case by Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP. MPS trial counsel includes Smith Brittingham, Dean Dunlavey, Lionel Lavenue, Mark Flagel, Darren Jirron, Scott Mosko and Franklin Kang.

Monday, June 21, 2010

National Semiconductor Acquires GTronix

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: NSM) today announced it has acquired the technology of GTronix, 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.

For more than 50 years, National Semiconductor has been a world leader in analog technology. Its vast portfolio of analog products includes acoustic integrated circuits and subsystems, which enable high-fidelity sound in a myriad of electronic systems. National's audio product portfolio includes the energy-efficient Boomer™ audio amplifier, which has been adopted by numerous wireless handset customers, including global leaders in the personal mobile device market.
GTronix is based in Fremont, Calif.

Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Broadcom Announces Intention to Acquire Innovision

IRVINE, Calif., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced its subsidiary, Broadcom International Ltd., has agreed to terms with the board of Innovision Research & Technology PLC, (a company listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange: INN), to make an all-cash offer to acquire all of the issued and to be issued shares of Innovision. Innovision is a leader in near-field communication (NFC) technology.

Under the terms of the offer, Innovision shareholders will receive Pounds Sterling 0.35 (approximately $0.52) per share in cash for each Innovision share held, representing a total equity value of approximately $47.5 million based on current exchange rates. This offer represents a 84.2% premium above the closing price of Innovision common stock on June 17, 2010. Broadcom expects to close the acquisition of Innovision in the third quarter of 2010.

Monday, June 14, 2010

SMSC Announces Acquisition of STS

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SMSC (NASDAQ: SMSC), a leading semiconductor company creating valued connectivity ecosystems, today announced that it has acquired Wireless Audio IP B.V. (“STS”), a fabless designer of plug-and-play wireless solutions for consumer audio streaming applications, including home theater, headphones, LED TVs, PCs, gaming and automotive entertainment. Customers include many of the industry’s leading consumer and PC brands. STS’s robust, low latency digital audio baseband processor and integrated module solutions are highly complementary to SMSC’s Kleer® wireless audio products. Together, the STS and Kleer teams intend to collaborate on developing best-in-class baseband processor and audio networking solutions that allow end users to enjoy state-of-the-art entertainment in the home, in the car or on the go.

“We are excited about the expansion of SMSC’s wireless audio product portfolio with the acquisition of STS,” said Christine King, President & Chief Executive Officer of SMSC. “The growth potential in the wireless audio market is significant as this technology is no longer just a unique application for audio enthusiasts. With this technology, we are enabling a new experience with high quality, untethered digital stereo audio transmission when listening to music, watching movies on a PC or TV and for playing videogames. We believe we are well positioned to build our market position now that we have assembled the technology and talent of two of the industry’s leading designers of wireless audio.”

Founded in 2003, STS has developed patented custom audio processing technology that is universal and highly scalable from previous generations, creating easy and efficient design environments for customers. Its wireless platform has shipped in millions of units of customer product deployed in a wide array of consumer applications. STS is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with offices in Singapore and China.

SMSC expects Kleer and STS to contribute approximately $15 million in revenue in fiscal 2011 and the acquisitions are expected to be neutral to slightly accretive during SMSC’s current fiscal year 2011. Under terms of the share purchase agreement, SMSC paid $22 million in cash and additional cash payments of up to $3 million may occur upon achievement of certain performance goals. The acquisition closed on June 14, 2010.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Synopsys to Acquire Virage Logic Corporation

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing, and Virage Logic Corporation (Nasdaq: VIRL), a leading independent provider of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) for the design of complex integrated circuits, today announced they have signed a definitive agreement for Synopsys to acquire Virage Logic. Virage Logic's offering will complement Synopsys' DesignWare® interface and analog IP portfolio by adding embedded memories with test and repair, non-volatile memories (NVMs), standard cell libraries, and programmable cores for control and multimedia sub-systems. With this acquisition, Synopsys will strengthen its ability to help design teams achieve their system-on-chip (SoC) development goals by providing them with a more comprehensive portfolio of production-proven, high-quality IP and excellent worldwide technical support.

Under the terms of the agreement, Synopsys will pay $12.00 cash per Virage Logic share, resulting in a transaction value of approximately $315 million, or approximately $289 million net of cash acquired. The transaction is subject to regulatory and Virage Logic shareholder approval, as well as other customary closing conditions.

The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, and Virage Logic President and CEO Alex Shubat will join Synopsys. After the closing, Virage Logic will become part of Synopsys, and Virage Logic stock will cease trading. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Synopsys' fiscal 2010. Therefore, Synopsys anticipates the transaction to be neutral to non-GAAP earnings per share in fiscal 2010, and accretive in fiscal 2011.

"With more functionality being integrated into a single device, high-quality IP continues to be key for enabling designers to reduce integration risk and speed time-to-market," said Dr. Aart de Geus, chairman and CEO at Synopsys. "Bringing Synopsys and Virage Logic together broadens our portfolio and builds on two very strong technical teams. It is also in line with what so many customers are looking to Synopsys to address: a way to quickly incorporate standard functions into their SoCs so they can focus on developing differentiated products."

"When I co-founded Virage Logic in 1996, it was with the belief that a semiconductor IP company could provide the technically superior building blocks that the industry needed to accelerate development of high quality, cost-effective end products," said Dr. Alex Shubat, president and CEO of Virage Logic. "Today, the transition to a fabless, or 'fab-lite' model, coupled with the explosion in SoC product development costs at the advanced process nodes, has resulted in an escalating need by the semiconductor manufacturers for production-proven IP. By joining forces with Synopsys' impressive engineering team and by gaining access to their global channel, we will be able to accelerate the development and delivery of our broad product offering to help customers meet their design-for-profitability goals. I am excited to join Synopsys to further my original vision."

Synopsys Acquires High-level Synthesis Technology from Synfora, Inc.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing, today announced it has acquired technology, engineering resources and other assets of Synfora, Inc., a provider of C/C++ high-level synthesis tools used to design complex systems-on-chips (SoCs) and FPGAs. The asset acquisition strengthens Synopsys' position in system-level design and verification and enhances the company's FPGA-based prototyping solutions.

Synfora's technology enables designers to quickly create and synthesize IC building blocks starting from a description written in the C or C++ programming language. The advantages of Synfora's technology, including high capacity and quality of results for performance, area and power, are production-proven in leading-edge designs. Customers who have adopted Synfora's tools have experienced the benefits of the technology for their FPGA and SoC designs through integration with Synopsys' Synplify® Premier synthesis and Galaxy™ Implementation Platform.

"This acquisition adds proven C/C++ high-level synthesis technology to our system-level solutions portfolio and broadens Synopsys' comprehensive solutions for block creation and optimization," said Joachim Kunkel, senior vice president and general manager of the Solutions Group at Synopsys. "It underscores Synopsys' clear commitment to being the leading EDA supplier of system-level solutions for SoC design, software development, hardware/software integration and system validation."

The terms of the deal, which closed today, have not been disclosed.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

ON Semiconductor Acquires Sound Design Technologies, Ltd.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ON Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: ONNN), a premier supplier of high performance, energy efficient silicon solutions for green electronics, today 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.

“Matching SDT’s cutting-edge technology with ON Semiconductor’s worldwide presence and industry expertise is a natural next step in the evolution of the business, also benefiting SDT customers building sophisticated hearing products.”
Under the terms of the acquisition, the seller will also have the ability to receive additional earn-out proceeds of up to $10 million if, among other things, SDT is able to meet certain revenue thresholds in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The initial consideration value represents approximately one times SDT’s first quarter 2010 annualized sales levels. SDT will now become an integrated part of ON Semiconductor’s Medical Division, based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

“The acquisition of Sound Design Technologies solidifies our position as a leading supplier of ultra-low-power digital signal processing (DSP) technology for hearing aids and audio processing applications,” said Robert Tong, vice president of ON Semiconductor’s Medical Division. “In addition, the acquisition strengthens the company’s talent base and adds an experienced design and applications engineering team for the audiology segment. SDT’s advanced manufacturing expertise in chip-scale capacitors and high density packaging will also expand our capabilities in delivering advanced, highly miniaturized packaging technology, crucial for hearing aid and similarly size-constrained applications that demand medical-grade quality.”

Michael Hirano, executive vice president, operations of Global Equity Capital, stated, “Matching SDT’s cutting-edge technology with ON Semiconductor’s worldwide presence and industry expertise is a natural next step in the evolution of the business, also benefiting SDT customers building sophisticated hearing products.”

SDT is a leading designer and manufacturer of ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions for hearing aids and portable, battery-powered DSP applications, and a leading 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. For more information, visit www.sounddesigntechnologies.com.

About Global Equity Capital, LLC

Global Equity Capital, LLC (GEC) is a private equity firm focused on value creation through extensive operating expertise in small to middle-market transactions. GEC provides speed and flexibility in carve-outs of non-core assets from public and private entities, financial or operational turnarounds and growing businesses looking for operational and financial resource assistance. GEC is led by an experienced team, which has demonstrated over time a reliable track record of creating substantial value in its portfolio companies for shareholders and management. GEC is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. For more information, visit www.globalequitycap.com.

About ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: ONNN) is a premier supplier of high performance, energy efficient, silicon solutions for green electronics. The company's broad portfolio of power and signal management, logic, discrete and custom devices helps customers efficiently solve their design challenges in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, LED lighting, medical, military/aerospace and power applications. ON Semiconductor operates a world-class, value-added supply chain and a network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and design centers in key markets throughout North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions. For more information, visit www.onsemi.com.