(Reuters) - Intel Corp (>> Intel Corporation) agreed to buy Altera Corp (>> Altera Corporation) for $16.7 billion as the world's biggest chipmaker seeks to make up for slowing demand from the PC industry by expanding its line-up of higher-margin chips used in data centers.
Demand for cheaper chips and new products to power Internet-connected gadgets is driving consolidation in the semiconductor industry.
Worldwide semiconductor M&A reached $31 billion last year, the most since 2011, according to Thomson Reuters data. In the 12 months through March 2, 472 chip M&A deals were made worldwide, up from 383 in the previous year.
The following is a list of the largest semiconductor deals in the United States since December 2013:
Date Company Target Deal value Rationale Link to story
announced
May 28 Avago Broadcom Corp $37 To improve
Technologies (>> Broadcom Corporation) billion bargaining
Ltd (>> Avago Technologies Ltd) position with
manufacturers
May 7 Microchip Micrel Inc Equity To expand
Technology Inc (>> Micrel, Incorporated) value of offerings in
(>> Microchip Technology Inc.) $839 automotive and
million communications
markets
March 1 NXP Freescale $11.8 Makes company
Semiconductors Semiconductor billion the industry
NV (>> NXP Semiconductors NV) Ltd (>> Freescale Semiconductor Ltd) leader within
auto and
industrial chip
markets
Feb. 25 Avago Emulex Corp About $606 To boost server
Technologies million storage
Ltd (>> Avago Technologies Ltd) business with
Emulex's
network
connectivity
business
Jan. 27 Lattice Silicon Image About $600 To gain
Semiconductor Inc million technology that
Corp (>> Lattice Semiconductor) connects
smartphones and
tablets to TVs
and digital
projectors
Dec. 1, Cypress Spansion Inc $1.59 To boost
2014 Semiconductor billion microcontroller
Corp (>> Cypress Semiconductor Corporation) chips and flash
memory products
offerings
Oct. 15, Qualcomm Inc CSR Plc (>> CSR plc) $2.5 To boost its
2014 (>> QUALCOMM, Inc.) billion Bluetooth
offerings
Sept. 26, Intel Corp 20 pct stake in As much as To catch up in
2014 (>> Intel Corporation) two Chinese $1.5 a smartphone
mobile billion chip industry
chipmakers dominated by
rival Qualcomm
Aug. 22, Murata Remaining stake $465 To strengthen
2014 Manufacturing in Peregrine million its radio
Co Ltd Semiconductor frequency chip
(>> Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) business
Aug. 20, Infineon International About $3 Deal
2014 Technologies Rectifier billion complements its
AG (>> Infineon Technologies AG) high-powered
chips with
International
Rectifier's
low-power,
energy-efficien
t chips
June 10, Synaptics Inc Renesas SP $475 To buy the then
2014 (>> Synaptics, Incorporated) Drivers Inc million sole supplier
of display
chips for Apple
iPhones
June 9, Analog Devices Hittite $2 billion To boost its
2014 Inc (>> Analog Devices, Inc.) Microwave Corp radio frequency
and signal chip
offerings
April 29, Cirrus Logic Wolfson $489 To boost its
2014 Inc (>> Cirrus Logic, Inc.) Microelectronics million audio
Plc technology
offerings
Feb. 24, RF Micro TriQuint About $1.6 To capture a (http://reut.rs/1G3Hrmp)
2014 Devices Inc Semiconductor billion larger share of
Inc the smartphone
chip market
Dec. 16, Avago LSI Corp $6.6 To enter (http://reut.rs/1G3Hrmp)
2013 Technologies billion storage chip
Ltd (>> Avago Technologies Ltd) market to
counter
volatility in
its main
wireless
business
(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan and Sai Sachin R in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)