Silicon Labs to buy Boston-based Ember for US$72m

21 May 2012

US semiconductor company Silicon Laboratories is to acquire the Boston-based Ember Corporation for $72m. The acquisition of Ember is part of Silicon Lab’s move to enable technology for the internet of things.

Ember itself has been around for 10 years. It develops wireless mesh networking technology such as chips, software and tools for smart energy connected homes, as well as other monitoring and control applications.

It is a pioneer in ZigBee, a low-cost, low-power wireless network for smart meters and home energy devices.

Silicon Labs said that the acquisition of Ember would give it access to the technology and software expertise to enable the low-power mesh sensor networks being deployed in residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Ember has shipped over 25m ZigBee-based units for the connected home, smart homes and building automation marketplaces.

“We believe our track record and technology leadership in ZigBee-based systems combined with Silicon Labs’ broad portfolio and focus on establishing a market-leading business in embedded wireless will enable our customers and the internet of things market to grow faster,” said Bob LeFort, CEO of Ember today.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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