Power and mixed-signal fabless chip company Ixys Corp. is set to buy RadioPulse Inc. a provider of ZigBee RF and transceiver chips founded in 2003 and headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
RadioPulse’s ICs and modules are designed to enable a range of applications in the industrial, medical, consumer, smart grid and Internet of Things (IoT) markets and therefore provide a complement to Ixys's microcontrollers.
Ixys (Milpitas, Calif.) is set to pay RadioPulse shareholders $16.5 million in cash initially with the potential for an additional $6 million based on certain conditions. The boards of each company have approved the acquisition, which is expected to close by March 2015.
Ixys began operations in 1983 as a fabless power semiconductor company. In 2009 Ixys acquired Zilog Inc., which it now operates as wholly-owned subsidiary and 2013 acquired the 8- and 4-bit microcontroller business of Samsung Electronics, which are sold by Zilog.
The acquisition of RadioPulse will add a number of system-on-chip (SoC) to the Ixys portfolio, including RF transceivers and embedded 8-bit MCUs. Among its products, the MG2470 is designed for home and building automation, industrial control and monitoring, energy management and consumer electronics. The MG2420 RF transceiver is suitable for automatic meter reading, healthcare equipment, motor control and home and factory automation. The MG2475 and MG2480 are next generation ZigBee radio frequency integrated circuits, for a broad range of applications including the smart grid and IoT.
"We expect a seamless integration, as Ixys has a previously-established base in the region with Ixys Korea and the S3 line of MCU products. The combined products and capabilities of Zilog, S3 MCUs and now RadioPulse will allow Ixys to expand system solutions for customers globally," said Ixys CEO Nathan Zommer, in a statement. "ZigBee is key for the Internet of Things, starting in remote controls, home automation, security, medical monitoring, consumer and automotive markets."
Sung Ho Wang, CEO and founder of RadioPulse, said: "What we lack in resources and breadth, we will gain in the Ixys combination. Ixys’ R&D resources, geographic reach, sales, marketing channels and manufacturing capabilities will help ensure RadioPulse can introduce more products and gain market share more quickly."
Questions or comments on this story? Contact dylan.mcgrath@ihs.com
Related links and articles:
IHS connectivity and IoT research
News articles:
Chinese IoT Firm Makes Wireless-MCUs Around Xtensa
Wipro and Software AG Develop IoT Analytics Platform
