Microchip Technology moves on acquisition

-- EDN, 12/7/2000

Leading microcontroller vendor Microchip Technology has acquired linear and mixed-signal vendor Telcom Semiconductor (www.telcom-semi.com) for approximately $300 million. With this acquisition, Microchip hopes to strengthen and accelerate its position in analog functions that complement its strong microcontroller lines; some of these functions are stand-alone analog ICs, such as op amps and lower-resolution A/D converters, and others are embedded within the company's microcontroller ICs. The 250 employees of Telcom will become part of Microchip's analog-products group.

Microchip also announced that it will form a Digital Signal Controller Division to develop 16-bit devices that will combine its PICmicro architecture with additional microcontroller and DSP functions for embedded-system designs. The company expects to announce the first products from this division in late 2001.

Microchip Technology Inc, www.microchip.com.

—by Bill Schweber