Monday, June 18, 2012

Qualcomm Acquires Summit Microelectronics

SAN DIEGO – June 18, 2012 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that it has acquired Summit Microelectronics (Summit), a leading developer and provider of programmable power integrated circuits based in Sunnyvale, CA. Qualcomm’s power management roadmap will be significantly enhanced with the addition of Summit’s expertise and products. As a result of the acquisition, Qualcomm will be able to offer a robust portfolio which will address a broader set of customers and complex design challenges. All employees of Summit Microelectronics have joined Qualcomm’s CDMA Technologies division.

The demand for more sophisticated battery management is critical in a world of increasingly smart devices with advanced computing capabilities, large high-resolution screens, and advanced modem technologies (e.g. 4G LTE). Summit Microelectronics is a leader in providing flexible, highly integrated power management solutions combining precision power regulation with sophisticated digital control in a single chip. In particular, the Company’s fast charging solutions are found in a variety of leading mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers.

“Summit Microelectronics brings key expertise, technology, products, and design wins in battery charging and DC-DC converters,” said Steve Mollenkopf, president and COO of Qualcomm. “This acquisition enhances the competitiveness of Qualcomm’s chipset solutions and enables us to provide our customers with industry leading power management and charging performance.”

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cypress makes new bid for Ramtron

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:CY) today announced that it has submitted a proposal to Ramtron International Corporation (NASDAQ:RMTR) to acquire all of its outstanding stock for $2.48 per share in cash. This offer represents a 37% premium to Ramtron’s closing stock price on June 11, 2012.

“We believe that our offer provides compelling value to Ramtron’s stockholders,” said T.J. Rodgers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cypress. “Last year, we attempted to negotiate an acquisition of Ramtron, but our offer of $3.01 per share—which represented the same 37% premium to Ramtron’s then-current stock price as we are offering today—was summarily rejected. Soon thereafter, Ramtron sold almost 20% of its stock in a dilutive public offering at a net price of $1.79 per share.

“At this time, we call on Ramtron’s Board of Directors to act in the best interests of its stockholders by meeting with us to seriously discuss our compelling proposal. We believe that Cypress would benefit Ramtron’s customers, providing them with a more stable source of supply, greater research and development resources and better support from a much larger sales channel. We also believe the combination would provide Ramtron’s employees with more opportunity for long-term success as part of a larger, more global organization,” Rodgers continued.

In a letter sent to Ramtron today, Cypress stated that it would prefer a negotiated transaction. Cypress has engaged Greenhill & Co., LLC as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, as legal counsel.

The full text of the letter sent from Cypress to Ramtron today – along with letters sent on March 8, March 10 and April 11, 2011 – are set forth below:
June 12, 2012


BY EMAIL

Dr. William G. Howard, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mr. Eric A. Balzer, Director and Chief Executive Officer
Ramtron International Corporation
1850 Ramtron Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Gentlemen:

I am writing to formally convey Cypress Semiconductor’s proposal to acquire Ramtron International Corporation for $2.48 per share in cash. This represents a premium of 37% over Ramtron’s closing price of $1.81 per share on June 11, 2012. We believe that this all-cash transaction, which has been unanimously approved by our Board of Directors, is compelling for Ramtron and its stockholders. Our proposal would deliver immediate, certain value to Ramtron’s stockholders that is far superior to what we believe that you can reasonably expect to achieve as a standalone company.

We believe that an acquisition can be completed expeditiously and are prepared to commence a cash tender offer with no financing or due diligence conditions. We have retained Greenhill & Co., LLC as our financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, as our legal counsel. We are confident that a transaction would receive all necessary regulatory approvals, including antitrust clearances.

We hope to work with you on a negotiated basis to complete this transaction successfully, and are prepared to deliver a draft merger agreement and begin discussions immediately. I suggest that our respective financial and legal advisors meet at your earliest convenience to work toward the goal of announcement of a definitive agreement in the very near future.

It has been about two years since I first approached you about a possible transaction between our two companies and over a year since we delivered a formal proposal to acquire Ramtron. As you will recall, that proposal (at $3.01 per share) was for a 37% premium over your then-current stock price on March 8, 2011—the same premium we are offering today. Our offer made clear that we were prepared to commence due diligence immediately and would deliver a merger agreement with minimal closing conditions. We were deeply disappointed when, two weeks after we provided you with our offer, you and your Board of Directors responded that our offer was so low that it was not even worth your time to make a counter proposal.

Since then, a number of events have convinced us that your response did not reflect the best interests of your stockholders. First, soon after you rejected our offer, Ramtron sold almost 20% of its stock in a dilutive public offering at a net price of $1.79 per share, which I found extremely surprising in light of your comments regarding our offer and its 68% premium to that price. Second, since our offer Ramtron has had cumulative net losses of five cents per share. Third, your stockholders have been increasingly vocal about their desire for you to sell Ramtron. These factors, along with your history of rejecting out-of-hand our prior offer, have convinced us that we must make our offer public at this time so that your stockholders are aware of our efforts. I have attached copies of my prior letters to you to this letter.

Although we would prefer to proceed through a negotiated agreement, we are fully committed to this transaction, and will take the steps necessary to complete it. We believe that a transaction between our two companies would be well received by your stockholders, and we are committed to providing them with an opportunity to express their views on our proposal.

This letter does not represent or create any legally binding or enforceable obligations. No such obligations will be imposed on either party unless and until a definitive agreement is signed by both Cypress and Ramtron.

We request a response to our proposal by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday, June 19, 2012. In light of the significance of this proposal to your stockholders and ours, as well as the potential for selective disclosure, we are publicly releasing the text of this letter.
Very truly yours,

T.J. Rodgers
President and Chief Executive Officer

cc: Greenhill & Co., LLC
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation