CSR (company)

CSR plc (formerly Cambridge Silicon Radio) was a multinational fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its main products were connectivity, audio, imaging and location chips. CSR was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index until it was acquired by Qualcomm in August 2015. Under Qualcomm's ownership, the company was renamed Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.

CSR plc
TypePublic limited company
LSE: CSR
IndustrySemiconductors
Communications
FateAcquired by Qualcomm
Founded1998 (1998) (as Cambridge Silicon Radio)
Defunct14 August 2015 (2015-08-14)
HeadquartersCambridge, England, U.K.
Key people
Ron Mackintosh (Chairman)
Joep van Beurden (CEO)
Will Gardiner (CFO)
ProductsFabless semiconductor that included connectivity, audio, imaging and GPS chips
RevenueUS$774.8 million (2014)[1]
US$97.0 million (2014)[1]
US$96.8 million (2014)[1]
Websitecsr.com

History

The company was founded in 1998 and split away from Cambridge Consultants as Cambridge Silicon Radio or CSR in 1999. The founding directors, who were all at Cambridge Consultants at the time were Phil O'Donovan, James Collier and Glenn Collinson.[2] It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004.[3]

In 2005 the company acquired Clarity Technologies, a leading clear voice capture (CVC) business[4] and UbiNetics, a 3G wireless (WCDMA/UMTS/HSDPA) technology company.[5] In 2007, CSR acquired Nordnav, a Swedish-based GPS software company, and CPS, a Cambridge-based GPS software company producing Enhanced GPS in partnership with Motorola.[6]

In February 2009, CSR announced it was merging with SiRF, the biggest global supplier of GPS chips, in a share deal worth $136 million;[7] in July 2010, CSR announced the acquisition of Belfast-based APT Licensing Ltd. (APT) and its aptX audio technology[8] and in February 2011, CSR announced it was merging with Zoran, a video and imaging technology company.[9]

In May 2012, CSR acquired Direct Digital Feedback Amplifier (DDFA) technology, a proprietary, highly scalable digital Class-D audio amplifier technology;[10] in June 2012, CSR announced that it had acquired the MAPX (formerly MAP-X) audio product line from Trident Microsystems, Inc[11] and in July 2012, Samsung Electronics agreed to acquire CSR's mobile phone connectivity (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) and location (GPS/GNSS) businesses and associated IP for US$310 million (£198 million).[12] As part of the deal Samsung acquired a stake of 4.9% in CSR.[12]

In June 2014, CSR acquired the people and technology of Reciva, a networked audio streaming platform, for US$5 million[13] and in October 2014, the acquisition of CSR by Qualcomm for $2.5 billion was agreed.[14] The transaction was completed in August 2015.[15]

Products
CSR BC7820

CSR’s products included platform solutions for Bluetooth, GPS, FM broadcasting, Wi-Fi, audio, imaging, and ARM processors.[16] After the Zoran merger, CSR also made digital imaging products based on the MIPS architecture.[17][18]

Offices
Churchill House, part of CSR's corporate campus at the Cambridge Business Park

CSR had 27 offices in 13 countries:

References
  1. "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). CSR plc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. Kirk, Kate; Cotton, Charles (2012). The Cambridge Phenomenon: 50 years of innovation and enterprise. London: Third Millennium Publishing. ISBN 9781906507527.
  3. and became a FTSE250 company in the same year. Blue tooth firms IPO share fetch top price
  4. "CSR plc acquisition of Clarity Technologies, Inc". ic-tech.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  5. CSR plc: Acquisition of UbiNetic's software
  6. "EDN - Industry News, Learning center, electronic design center". edn-europe.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  7. Merger Agreement with SiRF Archived 16 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "CSR buys Belfast based audio compression specialist". New Electronics. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  9. "CSR plc announces merger with Zoran Corporation". Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  10. "CSR Strengthens Its Audio Platform with High Fidelity Class-D Amplifier Technology". Businesswire. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  11. "CSR buys Trident's audio processor line". EE Times. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  12. "Samsung buys chipmaker CSR's handset technology". Reuters. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  13. "CSR Capital Markets Day Report, June 2014" (PDF).
  14. "Qualcomm trumps Microchip with $2.5 billion deal for Britain's CSR" (Press release). Reuters. 15 October 2014.
  15. "Qualcomm completes $2.4bn take-over of Cambridge's CSR". Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. "CSR Joins Qualcomm". csr.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  17. "CSR Wireless Technology Product Finder". csr.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  18. "CSR Wireless Technology Product Finder". csr.com. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
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