To use Altair’s LTE chip technology to develop new sensing technologies for the IoT that will use LTE as transport
Sony Corporation has announced that it has reached an agreement with Altair Semiconductor and its major shareholders to acquire the company, to further its advancement in the Internet of Things (IoT).
The purchase price is $212 million (approximately 25 billion yen), and Sony expects to complete the acquisition in early February, 2016.
Altair, an Israel-based company, owns modem chip technology and related software for LTE. It develops and sells products focused on LTE technology, and its modem chips are designed for their low power consumption, high performance and competitive cost.
With the acquisition of Altair, Sony aims to not only expand Altair’s existing business, but also to move forward with research on and development of new sensing technologies for the IoT that will use LTE as transport.
By combining Sony’s sensing technologies – such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and image sensors – with Altair’s modem chip technology, and by further evolving both, Sony intends to develop a new breed of mobile-connected, sensing component devices.
With the markets for wearable and IoT devices expected to continue to expand, Sony aims to deliver component devices that feature both sensing and communication capabilities, as well as new LTE solutions that leverage the strengths of these component devices.
