IXYS announces agreement with Samsung to acquire its 4- and 8-bit MCU business

USA: IXYS Corp. has executed a definitive agreement with Samsung Electronics to acquire Samsung’s 4-/8-bit microcontroller business for approximately $50 million.

As part of the agreement, IXYS will receive nearly 80 products, inventories, intellectual property and other assets exclusively related to the 4-/8-bit business. The acquisition is subject to various customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed within four weeks from the date of signing of the definitive agreement. The net impact is expected to be accretive for IXYS in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014.

According to recent research, the 4-/8-bit microcontroller segment is forecast to reach nearly $3.5 billion in 2013, with shipments of MCUs growing to 6.7 billion units. By some estimates, 4-/8-bit MCUs are expected to account for 23 percent of microcontroller sales in 2017.

Current 4-/8-bit products to be acquired by IXYS include MCUs for remote controllers, ultra-low power MCUs and a series of products for home appliances, consumer electronics and LCD displays. Applications include battery chargers, thermostats, boiler control, microwaves, e-bikes, LED lighting, power meters, blood pressure meters and smoke detectors.