March 12, 2014 – Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB, Country Manager In-gyu Kim), a global leader in high-performance analog-intensive mixed-signal ICs, announced that it has acquired the product portfolio and intellectual property (IP) assets of Touchstone Semiconductor Inc., based in California, USA. Touchstone Semiconductor is a startup with power management technology that has supplied high-performance, low-power analog IC products. Silicon Labs acquired Touchstone's products and IP assets for $1.5 million.

Touchstone's low-power analog products and technologies complement Silicon Labs' embedded portfolio, which includes energy-friendly microcontrollers (MCUs), wireless products, and sensors suitable for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Through this acquisition, nearly 70 analog products are added to Silicon Labs' portfolio. These include operational amplifiers, current sense amplifiers, low-power analog-to-digital (ADC) converters, comparators, power management ICs, timers, voltage detectors, and references. By combining Touchstone's products with Silicon Labs' existing embedded portfolio, high-performance analog products can achieve a new level of power savings in battery-operated systems widely used in the IoT market. Touchstone's IC products will continue to be sold under the Silicon Labs brand, and Silicon Labs plans to expand this product line in the future.

"As the IoT market expands exponentially, developers are demanding more comprehensive technologies for low-power MCUs, wireless ICs, sensors, and power management suitable for battery-powered end-products," said Tyson Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs. "IoT end-product designs require optimal energy efficiency to maximize battery life without compromising performance." “This technology asset acquisition process allowed us to add high-value energy-saving analog technologies and products, providing an opportunity to expand Silicon Labs’ IoT embedded portfolio,” he said.