Baseband Processor Maker Icera Gets Bought by NVIDIA

Since the Tegra 2 has been proving to be such a promising product, NVIDIA has decided to acquire the means necessary to integrate more features into it, hence its decision to make an acquisition of its own.

With all the company acquisition going on, especially on the storage industry, it isn't such a shock to learn that another one is about to happen.

In this case, instead of Seagate or Western Digital, it is NVIDIA that has reached an agreement with another IT player, one Icera, based in Bristol.

Icera is a company that specializes in making multi-protocol wireless baseband processors used in 2G, 3G and even 4G wireless networks.

By buying it, NVIDIA will have all it needs to incorporate this functionality in its Tegra mobile platform, reducing the time to market of new devices and potentially doubling its revenue per device, since it will be selling two chips instead of just one.

“This is a key step in NVIDIA’s plans to be a major player in the mobile computing revolution, Adding Icera’s technology to Tegra gives us an outstanding platform to support the industry’s best phones and tablets” said Jen-Hsun Huang, President and CEO of NVIDIA

“Icera is a perfect fit for NVIDIA. Our businesses are complementary. Icera has the right team, with a strong, proven track record. And their nimble, entrepreneurial, engineering-focused culture mirrors our own.”

NVIDIA will, of course, still offer standalone Tegra SoCs, in case device makers want to use other baseband chips.

“NVIDIA’s Tegra processor has the most impressive roadmap in the industry, and it is an ideal match for Icera,” said Stan Boland, President and CEO of Icera. “As part of NVIDIA, we will be able to reach a broader market. Our team has collaborated closely with NVIDIA for several years on a range of projects, and we’re delighted to be joining forces.”