Agere Systems
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Predecessor | Lucent Technologies (spin-off) |
| Founded | June 1, 2002 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Fate | Merged with LSI Corporation |
| Successor | LSI Corporation |
| Headquarters | Allentown , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Integrated circuit components |
| Parent | Lucent Technologies (until 2002) |
Agere Systems, Inc. was a manufacturer of integrated circuit components headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company was formed as a spin-off from Lucent Technologies in 2002 and subsequently merged with LSI Corporation in 2007. In 2014, LSI became part of Avago Technologies, which later acquired the former Broadcom Corporation in 2016 and rebranded itself as Broadcom Inc..
History
Agere was established on August 1, 2000, as a subsidiary under Lucent Technologies and officially separated on June 1, 2002. The name Agere was derived from a Texas-based electronics firm that Lucent acquired in 2000; however, the pronunciation differs between the two. In Latin, Agere translates to "to act" or "to do."
Microsoft lawsuit
In 2007, Agere initiated legal action against Microsoft, accusing the company of unlawfully using critical Internet telephony technology. The conflict arose from discussions held during 2002-2003 concerning Agere's stereophonic acoustic echo cancellation technology, which improves audio clarity in Internet telephony and teleconferencing applications. Microsoft ceased negotiations, citing significant progress achieved independently through its own research efforts.
Beyond its main office in Allentown, Agere operated several additional locations:
- Reading, Pennsylvania, USA: The "Reading Works" facility, previously operated by Lucent/AT&T and Bell Labs, was closed in 2003.
- Orlando, Florida, USA: Known as the "Orlando Plant," this site was inaugurated by AT&T in 1984 and formerly known as "Cirent Semiconductor." It served as Agere’s latest wafer fabrication facility and included Bell Labs' Advanced Development and Research Facility (ADRF). The plant was shut down in 2005.
- Dallas, Texas, USA: Agere Optoelectronics South (OES), originally Hermann Technologies before its acquisition in 2000, ceased operations in 2002.
- Irwindale, California, USA: This site was sold to Emcore Corporation.
- Whitefield, India: Functioned as an ASIC design and software development center.
- Raanana, Israel: Based on the Modem-Art acquisition in 2005, this location specialized in advanced processor technology for 3G/UMTS mobile devices.
- China: Maintained offices located in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
- Nieuwegein, Netherlands: Formerly part of NCR/AT&T/Lucent focusing on Wi-Fi technology development; closed in December 2004.
- Ascot, Berkshire, UK: Served as a research and development site working on processor technologies for GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks.
- Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain: A wafer fabrication plant producing CMOS devices; this facility closed in 2001.
External links
- Articles with short description
- 2002 establishments in Pennsylvania
- 2007 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
- Alcatel-Lucent
- American companies established in 2002
- American companies disestablished in 2007
- Companies based in Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Computer companies established in 2002
- Computer companies disestablished in 2007
- Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States
- Fabless semiconductor companies
- History of Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Technology companies established in 2002
- Technology companies disestablished in 2007