TI to Acquire Chipcon

DALLAS, Dec. 28 -- Texas Instruments announced last week it will acquire Chipcon, a semiconductor company that makes short-range, low-power wireless RF (radio frequency) transceiver devices, for $200 million. The transaction is expected to be complete in January 2006.

Chipcon targets both consumer electronics and home and building automation end markets and has strong positions both in proprietary and standards-based radio technologies.

The company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of TI and will continue to operate from its Oslo, Norway headquarters. Its other facilities include a software design center in San Diego, Calif.; and sales offices in New Hampshire, Germany, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The company employs about 120 people.

Combining Chipcon’s design experience in RF transceiver and system-on-chip devices with TI's advanced analog silicon technologies and systems expertise will enhance TI’s ability to offer customers short-range wireless systems for consumer, home and building automation applications, the company said. The acquisition also broadens TI’s offering of RF solutions and strengthens its position in ZigBee, a global standard for wireless monitoring and control applications.

Chipcon radio technology can be found in consumer applications like wireless keyboards and gaming accessories and in security systems and automatic meter reading systems in the home and building automation markets.

Geir Forre, Chipcon's CEO, will lead TI’s group integrating short-range wireless personnel and products from both Chipcon and TI. Geir and the short-range wireless team will report to Art George, vice president of TI’s High-Performance Linear group.

For more information, visit: www.ti.com