AUSTIN, TX. — Silicon Labs hopes to spark its M2M ambitions with the purchase of Ember Corporation, a leader in 2.4 GHz wireless mesh networking solutions. Boston-based Ember makes semiconductors and software for monitoring and control applications including smart energy, connected homes, and security. The private company focuses on 802.15.4 ZigBee solutions, integrating low power integrated circuits with networking software.
Ember has shipped more than 25 million units during its 11 years in business. That’s just a fraction of the potential opportunity, according to Silicon Labs (SLAB). The company says the “Internet of Things” is expected to be the first 10 billion unit per year market, and that its purchase of Ember will enable it to address a part of the market that will grow to $600 million by 2016.
Ember has reportedly raised $81 million since it was founded, meaning that some investors probably lost money along the way. Silicon Labs says Ember will contribute approximately $10-$12 million in revenue in the second half of 2012.
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