Silicon Labs以1.15亿美元收购Energy Micro

Silicon Labs公司日前表示，以1.15亿美元现金外加额外5500万美元激励措施，收购低功耗单片机及射频芯片供应商Energy Micro。 Energy Micro在2007年由现任公司总裁暨CEO Geir Forre建立。他还曾创建混合信号与无线芯片公司Chipcon ASA，在2006年以2亿美元卖给了德州仪器（TI）。 Energy Micro是最早开发基于ARM Cortex-M3 32位MCU的公司之一，强调低功耗与电池管理应用。公司此前也进行了大力度的资金募集，但并未对外公布2010年3月时曾经获得1300万美元风投的事。2013年初，Atmel的Alf-Egil Bogen加入Energy Micro并担任首席市场官（CMO），主导了一项200万美元的投资，对象是一家Fabless的MCU公司，目前该投资还未完成，预计后续将由收购者Silicon Labs接手。 Energy Micro为物联网（IoT）、智能能源、家庭自动化、安防以及便携电子产品开发基于Cortex-M架构的多协议射频解决方案，融合了低功耗MCU与无线电功能。 但Energy Micro为其壁虎系列（Gecko Range）低功耗MCU增添无线电功能却是一个画蛇添足的败笔。Energy Micro的Draco系列无线电产品最早在2011年3月2日的德国纽伦堡嵌入式世界展上展出，当时他们承诺，包括基于Cortex-M0的SoC芯片在内，所有部件都可以在2011年Q4送样，而现在这个日子因为无线功能搞不定，被延期到了2013年Q4。 Silicon Labs在基于ARM架构的MCU上有自己的产品路线，但他们表示收购Energy Micro对他们的32位MCU、 Ember ZigBee以及sub-GHz无线等嵌入式产品组合是一个很好补充。此次收购将把Silicon Labs的MCU产品组合扩大到250种，范围从基于Cortex-M0的低功耗产品，到满足DSP应用和浮点运算的Cortex-M4产品。

签署收购协议的Energy Micro董事长Torleif Ahlsand，Silicon Labs的CEO Tyson Tuttle，Energy Micro的CEO Geir Forrey以及Energy Micro的董事Steinar Fossen
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“此次收购可以使Silicon Labs获得两方面的成熟技术，无论是低功耗MCU还是射频SoC，都会帮助Silicon Labs加快部署面向互联网、物联网以及智能能源等产业的解决方案。”Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle表示。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Luffy Liu 参考英文原文：Silicon Labs makes IoT play with Energy Micro buy,by Peter Clarke

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{pagination} Silicon Labs makes IoT play with Energy Micro buy Peter Clarke LONDON – Fabless mixed-signal chip company Silicon Laboratories Inc. (Austin, Texas) is set to acquire fabless low-power microcontroller startup Energy Micro AS (Oslo, Norway), in a move that attempts to create critical mass in the pursuit of the wireless embedded market and the Internet of Things. The deal is said to be worth $115 million in cash up front with an additional $55 million payable over time in deferred and earn-out payments and if the acquired company meets certain performance goals. Energy Micro, a late stage privately-held company, was co-founded in 2007 by Geir Forre, president and CEO, who had previously founded Chipcon ASA, a mixed-signal and wireless chip company, which he sold to Texas Instruments in January 2006 for $200 million. Energy Micro was one of the first companies to develop 32-bit microcontrollers based on a licensed ARM Cortex-M3 core with an emphasis on low-power and battery operated applications. Energy Micro has been largely self-funded although the company did announce a venture capital round of $13 million in March 2010. At the beginning of 2013 Alf-Egil Bogen joined Energy Micro as chief marketing officer (CMO) from Atmel Corp. and made an investment of $2 million into the fabless microcontroller company. However, it remains unclear if any, Silicon Labs purchase would represent. Energy Micro is developing multi-protocol wireless RF solutions based on the Cortex-M architecture and the combination of low-power MCUs and radios are designed to enable applications for the Internet of Things (IoT), smart energy, home automation, security and portable electronics markets. However, Energy Micro did make a mis-step as it tried to add a radio capability to its Gecko range of low-power MCUs. Energy Micro's Draco radio product family was originally announced on March 2, 2011 at the Embedded World exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany with the claim that parts, including a Cortex-M0 based system-chip, would sample in the fourth quarter of 2011.announced that it would. That now overdue line of radio-enabled microcontrollers is now due in the fourth quarter of 2013. Silicon Labs has its own line of ARM-based microcontrollers but the company said that Energy Micro's portfolio complements Silicon Labs' 32-bit MCU, Ember ZigBee and sub-GHz wireless products and targets a growing embedded market. The acquisition will expands Silicon Labs’ MCU portfolio, adding nearly 250 products ranging from low-power Cortex-M0+ based devices to up Cortex-M4 based MCUs' capable of DSP and floating-point operations. Click on image to enlarge. At the signing of the agreement for Silicon Labs to acquire Energy Micro are Torleif Ahlsand, chairman of Energy Micro, Northzone VC, Tyson Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs, Geir Forre, CEO of Energy Micro and board director Steinar Fossen of Investinor VC.