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SiTime to be acquired by MegaChips for $200 million

SiTime Corporation, a fabless maker of MEMS based timing chips, announced this week that it has signed a definitive agreement under which it will be acquired by MegaChips Corporation for $200 million in cash.  MegaChips is based in Japan, with its stock publicly trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and claims to be one of the country's top 25 fabless semiconductor companies.  MegaChips stated that its current annual revenue is $600 million.  According to SiTime, this transaction combines "two complementary fabless semiconductor leaders" that provide solutions for wearable, mobile and Internet of Things markets.  "SiTime's founders, Markus Lutz and Dr. Aaron Partridge, started the company with a vision of developing game-changing MEMS and analog technology to revolutionize the $5 billion timing industry," said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime.  "Through innovation, passion and focus, we've successfully delivered on this vision. Today, SiTime is the overwhelming leader -- we have 1000 customers, 250 million units shipped, major design wins in all electronics segments, and a roadmap that extends SiTime's MEMS technology to all timing markets."

Wearable sensor market to expand sevenfold in five years

Driven by rising demand for fitness and health monitoring features as well as by improved user interfaces, shipments of sensors used in wearable electronic devices will rise by a factor of seven from 2013 through 2019, according to IHS Technology.  The worldwide market for sensors in wearables will expand to 466 million units in 2019, up from 67 million in 2013.  Shipments of sensors will climb much more quickly than the market for the wearable devices themselves.  Wearable devices will increase to 135 million units in 2019, less than three times the total of 50 million in 2013.  According to IHS, the average wearable device shipped in 2019 will incorporate 4.1 sensor elements, up from 1.4 in 2013.

Si-Ware developing portfolio of disruptive MEMS products

While some of the MEMS companies continue to face downward price pressures, there are many new products, devices and technologies that are in development.  Many of these innovations will be launched in the marketplace in the coming months.  One company that is contributing to this “new wave” of MEMS is Si-Ware Systems (SWS), based in Cairo, Egypt.  We recently spoke with Dr. Hisham Haddara, SWS’ President and CEO, about his company’s origins, current activities and challenges, business threats and opportunities, and recent marketplace dynamics.  Hisham also discusses their new products, such as the MEMS based single-chip spectrometer and the all-silicon oscillator, which are scheduled to hit the market in 2015.