Corsair Gaming Explained

Corsair Gaming, Inc.
Type:Public
Founded:, in Fremont, California, U.S. (as Corsair Microsystems)
Hq Location City:Milpitas, California
Hq Location Country:U.S.
Revenue: (2023)
Operating Income: US$9.689 million (2023)
Net Income: US$3.187 million (2023)
Assets: US$1.357 billion (2023)
Equity: US$678.043 million (2023)
Num Employees:2,387 (2023)
Owner:EagleTree Capital (56.8%)
Footnotes:[1] [2]

Corsair Gaming, Inc. (stylized as CORSAIR) is an American computer peripherals and gaming brand headquartered in Milpitas, California.[3] Previously known as Corsair Components and Corsair Memory,[4] it was incorporated in California in January 1994 originally as Corsair Microsystems and reincorporated in Delaware in 2007.[4] The company designs and sells a range of computer products, including high-speed DRAM modules, power supplies (PSUs), USB flash drives (UFDs), CPU/GPU and case cooling, gaming peripherals (such as keyboards and computer mice), computer cases, solid-state drives (SSDs), and speakers.[5]

It leases a production facility in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, for assembly, testing and packaging of select products, with distribution centers in North America, Europe, and Asia and sales and marketing offices in major markets worldwide. It trades under the ticker symbol CRSR on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Lockdown orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and a rise in demand for computing equipment, including the computer gaming sector, led to a significant short-term increase in Corsair's revenue.[6]

History

The company was founded as Corsair Microsystems Inc. in 1994 by Andy Paul, Don Lieberman, and John Beekley. Corsair originally developed level 2 cache modules, called cache on a stick (COASt) modules, for OEMs. After Intel incorporated the L2 cache in the processor with the release of its Pentium Pro processor family, Corsair changed its focus to DRAM modules, primarily in the server market. This effort was led by Richard Hashim, one of the early employees at Corsair. In 2002, Corsair began shipping DRAM modules that were designed to appeal to computer enthusiasts, who were using them for overclocking. Since then, Corsair has continued to produce memory modules for PCs, and has added other PC components as well.

Corsair expanded its DRAM memory module production into the high end market for overclocking.[7] This expansion allows for high power platforms and the ability to get more performance out of the CPU and RAM. The Corsair Vengeance Pro series and Corsair Dominator Platinum series are built for overclocking applications.[8] [9] [10]

Corsair has since expanded their product line to include many types of high-end gaming peripherals, high performance air and water cooling solutions, and other enthusiast-grade components. Around 2009, Corsair contacted CoolIT Systems to integrate their liquid cooling technology into Corsair's offerings which resulted in a long-term partnership.[11] [12]

In May 2021, Corsair announced that it will relocate its headquarters from Fremont to Milpitas, with the new lease stated to take effect in March 2022.[13]

Transactions

On July 26, 2017, EagleTree Capital entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Corsair from Francisco Partners and several other minority shareholders in a deal valued at $525 million. Corsair Founder and CEO Andy Paul retains his equity stake and remains in his role as CEO.[14]

On June 27, 2018, Corsair announced that it will be acquiring Elgato Gaming from the Munich-based company Elgato, excluding their Eve division which was spun off as Eve Systems.[15]

On July 24, 2019, it was announced that Corsair Components, Inc. acquired ORIGIN PC Corp.[16]

On December 16, 2019, Corsair announced its intention to acquire SCUF Gaming.[17]

On August 21, 2020, Corsair filed registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a planned $100 million IPO.[18]

On 17 July 2023, Corsair announced that it had acquired the online mechanical keyboard retailer Drop.[19]

Products

The company's products include:

Since the custom computer industry has experienced an increased interest in products with RGB lighting, Corsair has added this feature to almost all of their product lines. In the gaming industry, Corsair has its biggest share of the market in memory modules (around 44%[20]) and gaming keyboards (around 14%[21]).

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Corsair Gaming, Inc. 2023 Annual Report (Form 10-K) . 27 February 2024 . U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. Web site: Corsair Gaming, Inc. 2022 Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A) . 22 April 2022 . U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  3. Web site: Corsair. 26 August 2022. Contact.
  4. Web site: Corsair, Form S-1/A, Filing Date May 28, 2010 . secdatabase.com . Mar 28, 2013.
  5. Web site: Corsair Products. 26 December 2014.
  6. Web site: Hollister. Sean. 2020-08-25. Corsair Gaming is a billion-dollar company, and everything else we spotted in the IPO filing. 2021-01-10. The Verge. en.
  7. Web site: Corsair TwinX1024-4000 PRO: Improving DDR500 Performance . AnandTech . 15 September 2003 . 17 December 2014.
  8. Web site: Shilov. Anton. Corsair launches Dominator Platinum Memory Modules for ASUS ROG Systems. Anandtech.com. 16 September 2016.
  9. News: Corsair. Official Website. Vengeance Memory. 17 December 2014.
  10. News: Corsair. Official Website. Dominator Memory. 17 December 2014.
  11. Web site: CoolIT Systems Leads the Way with Liquid Cooling. 30 April 2021.
  12. Web site: Parker: CoolIT delivers Direct Liquid Cooling solutions to data centres.
  13. News: Tech gaming company says it will move Fremont HQ to Milpitas in expansion . 5 May 2021 . . Avalos . George.
  14. Web site: Chen. Sam. EagleTree Capital Buys Majority Stake in CORSAIR for $525 Million. Custom PC Review. 26 July 2017 . 26 July 2017.
  15. Web site: CORSAIR to Acquire Elgato Gaming. Corsair. 28 June 2018.
  16. Faulkner, Cameron. Corsair has acquired enthusiast PC builder Origin PC. The Verge, July 24, 2019.
  17. Web site: Corsair Acquires Scuf Gaming. Corsair. Official Website. www.corsair.com. 2019-12-17.
  18. Web site: Corsair Gaming, Inc. Form S-1 . 21 August 2020 . U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  19. Web site: Whitwam . Ryan . July 17, 2023 . Corsair Acquires Mechanical Keyboard Retailer Drop .
  20. Web site: Best Memory for Gaming. GmrPC. 11 March 2021.
  21. Web site: Best Keyboard for Gaming. GmrPC. 11 March 2021.