Conexant Explained

Conexant Systems, Inc.
Type:Subsidiary
Traded As:NASDAQ:
Industry:Semiconductor industry and software industry
Key People:Rick Bergman (CEO)
Products:Semiconductors for voice and audio processing (AudioSmart) and imaging (ImagingSmart)
Revenue:$112 million (FY14)
Num Employees:312 (2014)
Parent:Synaptics
Location City:Irvine, California
Location Country:U.S.

Conexant Systems, Inc. was an American-based software developer and fabless semiconductor company that developed technology for voice and audio processing, imaging and modems. The company began as a division of Rockwell International, before being spun off as a public company. Conexant itself then spun off several business units, creating independent public companies which included Skyworks Solutions and Mindspeed Technologies.

The company was acquired by computing interface technology company Synaptics, Inc. in July 2017.

History

In 1996, Rockwell International Corporation incorporated its semiconductor division as Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc. On January 4, 1999, Rockwell spun off Conexant Systems, Inc. as a public company.[1] It was listed on the NASDAQ under symbol CNXT on January 4, 1999.[2] At that time, Conexant became the world's largest, standalone communications-IC company.[1] Dwight W. Decker was its first chief executive officer and chairman of its board of directors. The company was based in Newport Beach, California.

In the early 2000s, Conexant spun off several standalone technology businesses to create public companies.[3] In March 2002, Conexant entered into a joint venture agreement with The Carlyle Group to share ownership of its wafer fabrication plant, called Jazz Semiconductor.[4]

In June 2002, Conexant spun off its wireless communications division, which merged immediately following the spinoff with Massachusetts-based chip manufacturer Alpha Industries Inc. to form publicly held Skyworks Solutions Inc.[5] In June 2003, Conexant spun off its Internet infrastructure business to create the publicly held company Mindspeed Technologies Inc.[6] Mindspeed would eventually be acquired by M/A-COM Technology Solutions, based in Lowell, Massachusetts.[7]

In 2004, Conexant merged with Red Bank, New Jersey, semiconductor company GlobespanVirata, Inc., with Conexant as the surviving corporation. Subsequently, GlobespanVirata’s name was changed to Conexant, Inc.[8]

In April 2008, Conexant announced the sale of its broadband media processing business, which provided products for satellite, cable and IPTV applications, to Dutch semiconductor manufacturer NXP Semiconductors NV.[9]

In September 2008, Jazz was sold to Israel-based Tower Semiconductor Ltd and became known as TowerJazz.[10]

In August 2009, Conexant sold its broadband access product line to Fremont, California, semiconductor company Ikanos Communications.[11]

In February 2011, an agreement was announced for San Francisco investment firm Golden Gate Capital to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Conexant at a price of $2.40 per share, and take the company private.[12]

In February 2013, citing the burden of servicing debt related to multiple corporate acquisitions in the late 1990s, as well as the loss of revenue from the bankruptcy of key customer Eastman Kodak, Conexant filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. As part of the bankruptcy agreement, the company agreed on a restructuring plan with owners and its sole secured lender, QP SFM Capital Holdings Ltd.[13] The reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy in July 2013. As part of the operational restructuring, the company moved its headquarters from Newport Beach to nearby Irvine, and focused on a narrower product portfolio, consisting of far-field voice input processing-based devices, video surveillance and printer systems on a chip (SoCs).[14]

Since 2013, Conexant's silicon and software solutions for voice processing have been instrumental in the CE industry's proliferation of voice-enabled devices. The company's AudioSmart brand of voice input processors and embedded far-field processing software has become adopted by CE device manufacturers in numerous products ranging from Artificially Intelligent digital assistant devices and smart speakers to voice-enabled televisions and personal robots. In February 2016, it was announced that Korean electronics company LG Electronics was going to integrate Conexant's CX2092x far-field voice input processor system-on-chip (SoC) into two of its smart home products: a set-top box and an IoT hub for controlling home electronic devices.[15]

In March 2016, Conexant announced that their AudioSmart software was being integrated into Qualcomm's Hexagon digital signal processor family, a major component of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor reportedly contained in over 1 billion smart devices.[16]

In December 2016, Conexant and Amazon co-announced the AudioSmart 2-Mic Development Kit for Amazon AVS, a commercial-grade reference solution that streamlines the design and implementation of audio front end systems. Based on the Conexant AudioSmart™ CX20921 Voice Input Processor, the dual microphone board was designed to reduce time-to-market for new third-party voice-enabled Alexa devices.[17]

On May 11, 2017, news appeared that security researchers discovered that Conexant's audio drivers were installing keylogger software, including many laptops sold by HP. The keylogger writes every single keystroke typed by a user (including passwords) and stores them in an unencrypted file on the user's computer.[18]

On July 26, 2017, Synaptics completed its acquisition of Conexant Systems, LLC.[19]

By November 2017, Conexant.com was no longer available.[20]

Product line

Conexant had two main product families: the AudioSmart brand of audio processors and the ImagingSmart brand of image processors and modems.

AudioSmart

AudioSmart was a line of analog-to-digital converters (AD Converter), codecs, USB digital signal processor (DSP) codecs, voice/speech processors, and software that improved how audio signals are processed for electronic audio equipment.

ImagingSmart

ImagingSmart was a line of silicon and software to improve performance of image dependent electronic equipment, such as document and photo imaging controllers, digital video, and devices with integrated fax or data modems, such as printers or point-of-sale terminals.

Operations

Conexant's headquarters was in Irvine, California.[31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rockwell Semi spin-off Conexant will target communications IC market . eetimes.com . 1998-11-10 . 2015-12-17.
  2. Web site: Prospectus . Conexant Systems . 1999-01-29 . US Securities and Exchange Commission . Form S-3/A . 2013-10-23.
  3. News: How Conexant ended up filing for Chapter 11 . Junko Yoshida . 2013-03-05 . EE Times . 2015-12-17 .
  4. Web site: Conexant's foundry spin-off becomes 'Jazz Semiconductor,' serves 27 customers . eetimes.com . 2002-05-06 . 2015-12-17.
  5. Web site: Alpha's and Conexant's wireless spin-off becomes 'Skyworks Solutions' . 2002-05-21 . eetimes.com . 2015-12-17.
  6. Web site: Conexant details Mindspeed spinoff plans . eetimes.com . 2003-03-24 . 2015-12-17.
  7. Web site: M/A-COM to Buy Mindspeed for $272M. eetimes.com . 2013-11-13 . 2015-12-22.
  8. Web site: Conexant Systems To Buy GlobespanVirata. informationweek.com . 2003-11-03 . 2015-12-22.
  9. Web site: NXP to acquire Conexant Broadband Media Processing unit for initial $110m in cash to expand set-top box + digital TV operation. opticalkeyhole.com . 2008-04-29 . 2015-12-15.
  10. Web site: Tower completes Jazz acquisition . eetimes.com . 2008-09-22 . 2015-12-22.
  11. Web site: Ikanos Communications wraps acquisition of Conexant's broadband line . 2009-08-27. fiercetelecom.com . 2015-12-17.
  12. Web site: Golden Gate buys Conexant . 2011-02-23. eetimes.com . 2015-12-17.
  13. Web site: Chipmaker Conexant Systems files for chapter 11, to slash debt. reuters.com . 2013-02-28 . 2016-01-13.
  14. Web site: Conexant lays out post-Chapter 11 game plan . eetimes.com . 2013-06-11 . 2015-12-17.
  15. Web site: LG Turns to Conexant for Voice Control of Smart Home Devices . Speech Tech Magazine . 2016-02-23 . 2016-03-14.
  16. Web site: Qualcomm to Integrate Conexant AudioSmart into Hexagon DSPs . Speech Tech Magazine . 2016-03-01 . 2016-03-11.
  17. News: Announcing Conexant's Development Kit for Amazon Alexa: An Easier Way to Build with AVS. 2017-03-24.
  18. Web site: HP laptops covertly log user keystrokes, researchers warn. Audio driver supplied by Conexant may put PCs from other makers at risk, too. . arstechnica.com . 2017-05-11 . 2017-05-11.
  19. News: Synaptics Closes Conexant Acquisition . Globe Newswire.
  20. Web site: EMS. moko. 2021-02-19. What Happened To Conexant.com?. 2021-04-20. MOKO Technology. en-US.
  21. Web site: Conexant Targets Far-Field Voice Processing for TVs, PCs, Smartphones & Tablets . eetimes.com . 2009-01-09 . 2015-12-18.
  22. Web site: CX20823 Mono ADC for Voice Input AudioSmart Product Brief . conexant.com . 2015-12-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161028084009/http://www.conexant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/pb_CX20823.pdf . 2016-10-28 . dead .
  23. Web site: Conexant Launches New HD Audio CODEC For Mobile. anandtech.com . 2015-06-02 . 2015-12-17.
  24. Web site: I2S Audio CODEC with AudioSmart Amplifier . eeweb.com . 2015-01-15 . 2015-12-18. .
  25. Web site: Voice input processor SoC targets smart TVs(2) . electronicproducts.com . 2013-01-09 . 2015-12-17.
  26. Web site: Conexant Systems and Sensory Partner . speechtechmag.com . 2013-01-08 . 2015-12-17.
  27. Web site: Conexant takes sound and voice control to the next level . edn.com . 2016-01-06 . 2016-02-11.
  28. Web site: Conexant Systems Debuts new I2S audio Codec and AudioSmart Software Technologies . audioexpress.com . 2015-01-09 . 2016-10-27.
  29. Web site: Conexant Embedded Imaging Software Supports Broadcom Wi-Fi Networking Solution . technews.tmcnet.com . 2014-01-08 . 2015-12-17.
  30. Web site: CES: VoIP-enhanced fax modem chips make multifunction printers smarter . embedded.com . 2014-01-07 . 2015-12-17.
  31. Web site: Contact us. https://web.archive.org/web/20140523234116/http://www.conexant.com/contact/ . dead . May 23, 2014 . conexant.com . 2015-12-22.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Conexant".

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