Microchip Technology agreed to acquire a fellow chipmaker, the Atmel Corporation, for about $3.6 billion, part of a wave of mergers and acquisitions within the semiconductor industry.
Chip makers have been combining to cut costs and build scale for their customers. Microchip agreed to acquire the 37-year-old chipmaker Micrel in May for about $839 million. Microchip purchased Supertex for $394 million in 2014, and the year before that, bought the closely held Brussels-based EqcoLogic for an undisclosed amount.
Microchip joins larger peers in this round of consolidation, including Avago Technologies, which agreed to acquire Broadcom for $37 billion, one of the biggest deals ever within the semiconductor industry.
More cash for ATMEL than the Dialog deal as per the reporting, ATMEL was going to get acquired, wasn’t if, just when. We’ll see how this changes the maker chip market after the consolidation.
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