AUSTIN, Texas — Silicon Labs recently announced the completion of it acquisition of Sigma Designs’ Z-Wave business. The deal included a team of approximately 100 employees for $240 million in an all-cash transaction.
The strategic acquisition complements Silicon Labs’ comprehensive wireless hardware and software portfolio for the smart home, which includes WiFi, Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth and proprietary protocols, according to the company.
As a leading mesh networking technology for the smart home, there are more than 2,400 certified, interoperable Z-Wave devices available from more than 700 Z-Wave Alliance 700 manufacturers and service providers worldwide.
So what does this acquisition mean for the future of Z-Wave technology? Raoul Wijgergangs, general manager of Z-Wave for Silicon Labs, filled SSI in:
Silicon Labs is a true powerhouse in the IoT space, and now, with the addition of Z-Wave, all of the short-range IoT connectivity options are together under one roof. This means manufacturers looking to develop smart home security can use Silicon Labs as a one-stop-shop for all their shortwave IoT solutions.
In the smart home, we are working to solve the challenges facing consumers today such as making sure devices from various manufacturers perform in a uniform fashion with a high level of security across so that all devices work harmoniously together in the home. We see both challenges and opportunities to unify the smart home while simultaneously addressing security, interoperability, enrollment and usability to bring about a more streamlined smart home experience for end users.
What makes Z-Wave successful is the diverse ecosystem of interoperable, secure and easy to install and use Z-Wave devices. The success of Z-Wave stems from the software investments we’ve made over many years. Silicon Labs recognized the strength Z-Wave software, and now, with all the short-range IoT standards in Silicon Labs’ portfolio, we can further unify and simplify the smart home for all users.
