[31.10.2007 first posted on silicon republic]
Irish electronics firm S3 has acquired a Portuguese technology business called Acacia Semiconductor for an undisclosed sum. The move will strengthen S3’s position in the emerging digital TV and sensor applications space.

The acquisition of Acacia will yield Leopardstown-headquartered S3 an additional 10 skilled employees.
“We’re acquiring Acacia for its mixed signal intellectual property (IP) for various analogue data products, wireless products and broadcast products,” a spokesperson for S3 told siliconrepublic.com.
With the acquisition of Acacia, S3 will add higher speed, higher resolution and lower power data converters to its extensive IP portfolio, optimised for integration into SoCs (System-on-Chips) targeting consumer, wireless connectivity and digital broadcast applications.
End markets served by existing S3 clients include WiFi, WiMAX, mobile digital broadcasting, High-Definition (HD) video applications and power-line communications.
S3, which employs 300 people and last year reported revenues of US$30 million, is also in the process of expanding into the US with a new design centre to be located in Silicon Valley.
“We will be sending a general manager from the Irish office and their remit will be to expand that with however many people we’ll need to take on the US market from around 10 to begin with,” an S3 spokesperson explained.
S3 was established by entrepreneur Maurice Whelan in 1986 and Dutch electronics giant Philips holds a minority share in the company.
On the subject of the Acacia acquisition, S3 chief executive John O’Brien said Acacia represents a strong technical fit and synergy with S3’s growth strategy for its mixed signal business.
“Our traditional semiconductor customers are joining their fabless counterparts with fab-lite strategies, opening significant additional markets for S3 products beyond the already rapidly expanding fabless community,” O’Brien explained.
“This is an exciting time for S3 and we believe that this acquisition solidifies S3’s specialist market leadership position in mixed signal IP, helps us to better address emerging markets such as Next Gen WiFi and Mobile WiMAX and most importantly, assists us in better serving our growing global client base,” O’Brien added.
By John Kennedy