Active-Semi
High-volume producer of ICs for power management, LED lighting and other system control applications. Over 1 billion ICs shipped..
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor | €0.0 | round |
$6.0m | Debt | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Active-Semi International, a fabless semiconductor company, was founded in Silicon Valley in 2004 by Steven Huynh. Before its acquisition, the company established itself as a rising player in the multi-billion-dollar power management and intelligent motor drive IC markets. The business operated on a fabless model, focusing on the design of semiconductor chips while outsourcing the manufacturing process. This approach allowed the company to concentrate on creating scalable core platforms for charging, powering, and embedded digital control systems.
The founder, Steven Huynh, who served as CEO until 2009, brought over 17 years of semiconductor industry experience to the company, including a seven-year tenure at Maxim Integrated Products. His expertise is reflected in the more than 70 US patents and applications to his name. In 2009, Larry Blackledge, a former Vice President and General Manager from Texas Instruments with over two decades of experience in the semiconductor field, took over as CEO. This leadership, with deep roots in major industry players like Texas Instruments, guided the company's growth, which saw it shipping over 50 million power ICs per quarter at one point.
Active-Semi's product portfolio centered on analog and mixed-signal systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), including Power Application Controllers® (PAC®) and Programmable Analog ICs. These products were designed to reduce solution size and cost, enhance system reliability, and shorten development times for customers. The company served a broad range of clients in industrial, commercial, and consumer electronics sectors. Its offerings included power management ICs, motor control ICs, and power converters utilized in everything from power tools and drones to home appliances. In a significant milestone, Qorvo, Inc. announced its definitive agreement to acquire Active-Semi in April 2019, a transaction that was completed on May 6, 2019, for approximately $325 million. The acquisition integrated Active-Semi into Qorvo's Infrastructure and Defense Products (IDP) group, aiming to expand Qorvo's reach into high-growth power management markets such as 5G infrastructure, data centers, automotive, and smart home technology.
Keywords: fabless semiconductor, power management ICs, intelligent motor drive, analog and mixed-signal SoCs, systems-on-a-chip, Power Application Controllers, programmable analog ICs, embedded digital control, Qorvo acquisition, power converters, consumer electronics components, industrial automation components, Steven Huynh, Larry Blackledge, power efficiency solutions, mixed-signal design, battery management, DC-DC converters, motor control applications, semiconductor design