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Silicon Labs

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Silicon Laboratories, Inc.
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: SLAB
S&P 400 Component
IndustrySemiconductors
Founded1996[1]
Headquarters
Austin, Texas, United States
Key people
Tyson Tuttle (CEO), Nav Sooch (Chairman)
ProductsMicrocontrollers
Sensors
RevenueUS$ 886.7 million (Feb 3, 2021)[2]
US$ 38.3 million (Feb 3, 2021)
US$ 12.5 million (Feb 3, 2021)
Total assetsUS$ 1,993 million (Feb 3, 2021)
Total equityUS$ 1,199 million (Feb 3, 2021)
Number of employees
1,838 (Jan 2, 2021)[3]
Websitewww.silabs.com

Silicon Laboratories, Inc. (Silicon Labs) is a fabless global technology company that designs and manufactures semiconductors, other silicon devices and software, which it sells to electronics design engineers and manufacturers in Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, industrial automation, consumer and automotive markets worldwide.

It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. The company focuses on microcontrollers (MCUs), wireless system on chips (SoCs), timing devices, digital isolation devices, sensors and broadcast devices. The company also produces software stacks including firmware libraries and protocol-based software, and a free software development platform called Simplicity Studio.[4]

Silicon Labs was founded in 1996 and released its first product, an updated DAA design that enabled manufacturers to reduce the size and cost of a modem, two years later.[5] During its first three years, the company focused on RF and CMOS integration,[5] and developed the world's first CMOS RF synthesizer for mobile phones which was released in 1999.[5] Following the appointment of Tyson Tuttle as the CEO in 2012,[6] Silicon Labs has increasingly focused on developing technologies for the IoT market,[7] which in 2019 accounted for more than 50 percent of the company's revenue[8], but in 2020 had increased to about 58 percent.[9]

In 1998, Silicon Labs released its first product, an updated Direct Access Arrangement (DAA) design that enabled manufacturers to reduce the size and cost of a modem.

In August 2019, Silicon Labs had more than 1,770 patents worldwide issued or pending.[10]

Company history

Silicon Labs was founded by Crystal Semiconductor (now owned by Cirrus Logic Inc.) alumni Nav Sooch, Dave Welland and Jeff Scott in 1996.[11] It became a publicly traded company in 2000.[11] The first product, an updated DAA design, was released in the market in 1998. It cost significantly less than traditional DAAs and used less space compared to established products, which made it an instant success, taking the company's sales from $5.6 million in 1998 to nearly $47 million in 1999.[5]

During its early years, the company focused on developing an improved RF synthesizer for mobile phones that would cost less and take up less space. It introduced its first RF Chip in late 1999.[5]

Since 2012, Silicon Labs has been increasingly focused on developing technologies for the evolving IoT market.[7] On April 22, 2021, Silicon Labs announced the sale of its infrastructure and automotive business to Skyworks Solutions Inc for $2.75 billion, the deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.[12]

Key product launches

  • In 1998, released updated DAA design.[5]
  • In 1999, launched RF Chip.[5]
  • In 2001, released first products in its timing portfolio, a family of clock generators designed for high-speed communication systems.[13]
  • In 2003, entered the mixed-signal MCU market with analog-intensive high-speed 8-bit MCUs.[14]
  • In 2004, released its first crystal oscillator family featuring patented digital phase locked loop (DSPLL) technology.[15]
  • In 2005, introduced a single-chip FM receiver, which enabled FM radio to be installed in a new range of applications.[16]
  • In 2006, entered the automotive electronics market with the launch of an integrated MCU family.[17]
  • In 2007, launched industry's first single-port PoE interface with integrated DC-DC controller.[18]
  • In 2008, released industry's smallest fully integrated automotive AM/FM radio receiver IC.[19]
  • In 2009, entered the human interface market with a portfolio of fast-response touch, proximity and ambient light sensor devices.[20]
  • In 2010, introduced industry's first single-chip multimedia digital TV demodulator.[21]
  • In 2011, released industry's first single-chip hybrid TV receiver.[22]
  • In 2012, entered the ARM-based 32-bit MCU market with a line of mixed-signal MCUs with USB and non-USB options.[23]
  • In 2013, introduced the world's first single-chip digital radio receivers for consumer electronics.[24]
  • In 2014, released the world's first digital ultraviolet index sensors.[25]
  • In 2015, launched Thread networking technology for connecting devices including wireless sensor networks, thermostats, connected lighting devices and control panels.[26]
  • In 2016, released Gecko family of multiprotocol wireless SoC devices.[27]
  • In 2017, launched industry's first wireless clocks that support 4G/LTE and Ethernet.[28]
  • In 2018, launched Z-Wave 700 hardware/software IoT platform.[29]
  • In 2019, launched updated version of wireless Gecko web development platform.[30]
  • In 2021, launched Wi-SUN® technology[31]

Leadership

  • Tyson Tuttle, President and Chief Executive Officer
  • Matt Johnson, President [32]
  • John Hollister, Chief Financial Officer
  • Daniel Cooley, Chief Technology Officer[33]
  • Karuna Annavajjala, Chief Information Officer
  • Brandon Tolany, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales
  • Megan Lueders, Chief Marketing Officer
  • Sandeep Kumar, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations
  • Sharon Hagi, Chief Security Officer
  • Serena Townsend, Chief People Officer
  • Néstor Ho, Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Corporate Secretary
  • Mark Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Manager Infrastructure

Products

Silicon Labs provides semiconductor products for use in a variety of electronic products in applications including connected devices, AM/FM radios and other consumer electronics, networking equipment, test and measurement equipment, industrial monitoring and control, home automation, automotive systems and customer-premises equipment (CPE). The company also provides development kits and software including Simplicity Studio, an integrated development environment for IoT connected device applications.

Silicon Labs’ portfolio is organized around two primary focus areas: Internet of Things, and Infrastructure and Automotive.

Internet of Things

Infrastructure and Automotive

Security technologies

Silicon Labs’ product portfolio is protected by a range of security measures:[34][35]

Anti-rollback prevention

  • Protects device by preventing the execution of previous versions of authenticated firmware that might carry security flaws

Cryptographic accelerator

Differential Power Analysis (DPA) countermeasures

Protected secret key storage

Public Key Infrastructure

  • IoT Device Certificate Authority enabling device-to-device or device-to-server identity authentication

Secure boot

  • Secure Boot with Root of Trust and Secure Loader (RTSL) provides additional security for loading initial code to the system microcontroller

Secure debug with lock/unlock

  • Access to debug port controlled by a unique lock token generated by signing a revocable unique identifier with a customer generated private key

Secure link

  • Encrypting the link between a host processor and radio transceiver or network co-processor (NCP)

Secure programming at manufacturing

Secure Vault

  • Integrated hardware and software security technology[36][37][38] Features include:
    • Secure device identity[39]
    • Secure key management and storage[40]
    • Advanced tamper detection[41]

True Random Number Generator

Zentri Device Management Service (DMS)[42]

Protocols

Silicon Labs technologies support seven wireless protocols.[43]

Bluetooth [44]

Bluetooth software enables developers to utilize Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth 5.1, Bluetooth 5.2, and Bluetooth mesh. Bluetooth SDK can be used to create standalone Bluetooth applications for Wireless Gecko SoCs or modules, or network co-processor (NCP) applications. Products include:

  • Bluetooth SoCs
  • Certified Bluetooth modules
  • Software

Proprietary wireless protocols[45][46]

Devices cover sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies, delivering ultra-low power, long range, up to 20dBm output power and different modulation schemes for major frequency bands. Products include:

Thread [48]

Technologies that enabling IP connectivity through self-healing mesh features, native IPv6 based connectivity and different security options. Products include:

Zigbee [49]

Software stacks and development tools for Zigbee applications, including Mesh Networking SoCs and modules.

Z-Wave [50]

Modules and SoCs for applications in sectors including smart home, hospitality and MDUs, where sensors and battery-operated devices require long range and low power.

Wi-Fi [51]

Wi-Fi SoCs and modules designed for applications requiring low power and good RF performance, such as IoT. Products include:

  • Wi-Fi transceivers
  • Transceiver modules
  • Xpress modules
  • Stand-alone modules

Wi-SUN®

Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Ubiquitous Network) is a field area network (FAN) to enable long-distance connectivity (https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/wisun-new-wireless-standard-rivaling-lorawan-nb-iot-smart-cities/). The Wi-SUN technology aims to simplify LPWAN deployment and enable secure wireless connectivity in applications including advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), street lighting networks, asset management, and parking, air quality, and waste management sensors.[52]

Industry associations

Silicon Labs is a founding member of both the ZigBee Alliance[53] and the Thread Group,[54] and is on the Board of Directors at the Wi-SUN Alliance.[55]

The company is also a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group,[56] Wi-Fi Alliance,[57] Z-Wave Alliance[58] and a Gold member of the Open Connectivity Foundation[59] and the RISC-V Foundation.[60]

Acquisitions

Finances

For the fiscal year 2020, Silicon Labs reported GAAP earnings of $12.5 million with an annual revenue of $886 million.[79] Its market capitalization was valued at $6.02 billion in February 2021.[80]

Locations

Silicon Labs is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with regional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; San Jose, California; and Weston, Florida. The company has also corporate offices in Sydney, Australia; Quebec, Canada; Copenhagen, Denmark; Espoo, Finland; Budapest, Hungary; Oslo, Norway; Singapore; and High Wycombe, the UK.

It has 15 sales offices across the world. These include Boston and San Jose in the US; Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan in China; Espoo, Finland; Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France; Munich, Germany; Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; and Camberley, the UK.

Silicon Labs has a wireless development center in Hyderabad, India.[81]

References

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  5. ^ a b c d e f g Arensman, Russ. "Mixed-signal designers find the right mix". EDN. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
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