Cogency Semiconductor

Cogency Semiconductor Inc. operated as a developer of semiconductor chips with a focus on home-networking applications. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the company specialized in powerline networking and communications. This technology enables consumers to use their existing electrical outlets to network personal computers and entertainment devices, share internet connections, and stream digital audio and video.

The company's business model centered on the design and sale of these application-specific integrated circuits. Its primary market was the consumer electronics and PC networking sectors. Cogency Semiconductor's key product was its lineup of chips that facilitated data transmission over residential power lines, offering a convenient alternative to other home networking solutions.

In March 2004, Intellon Corporation, a competitor in the powerline networking chip space, acquired Cogency's engineering team and intellectual property. This strategic transaction consolidated significant expertise in the powerline networking field under Intellon. As part of the acquisition, 18 Cogency employees, primarily engineers, joined a new Intellon office in Toronto. Cogency's President and CEO, Ron Glibbery, who had been with the company since its inception, became the president of Intellon. Keith Riley, Cogency's Vice President of Engineering, assumed the same role at Intellon. Prior to his time at Cogency, Glibbery was the general manager for the digital video group of LSI Logic Corp. of Canada, where he gained experience in the motherboard chipset and graphic IC markets. The acquisition gave the combined entity a commanding 95% share of the global market for HomePlug 1.0 integrated circuits at the time. Following this, Cogency Semiconductor was later reported as acquired by Nova Bancorp Group.

Keywords: powerline networking, home networking, semiconductor chips, integrated circuits, application-specific semiconductors, HomePlug 1.0, consumer electronics networking, powerline communications, Intellon acquisition, Ron Glibbery, data over power lines, PC networking, digital audio streaming, video streaming, LSI Logic, Toronto startup, semiconductor design