Exar Corporation

Exar Corporation

Company type	Public (until 2017)
Industry	Semiconductors
Founded	1971
Founder	Rohm
Defunct	2017
Fate	Acquired by MaxLinear
Headquarters	California , United States
Products	Power management integrated circuits, power distribution switches, analog front-end sensor interfaces, synchronous optical network transceivers, BITS Framers, Line Interface Units (LIUs), inductive step-down converters, UART bridges, GPIO expanders
Parent	MaxLinear (from 2017)

Exar Corporation was a U.S.-based semiconductor company operating from 1971 until 2017, initially established as a subsidiary of the Japanese corporation Rohm. In May 2017, it was acquired by MaxLinear and functioned briefly as a fully owned subsidiary.

History

Founded in 1971 by Rohm, Exar served as the company’s American branch located in California, created to bring integrated circuit design and manufacturing closer to the U.S. market and to strengthen marketing initiatives. By the early 1980s, Exar achieved annual revenues of roughly , with only about one-third of sales directly linked to Rohm, capitalizing on proprietary technologies developed through joint efforts.

Amid U.S. governmental pressures concerning Japanese participation in the American semiconductor sector, Rohm incrementally reduced its ownership. Following Exar’s initial public offering (IPO) in 1985, Rohm's shareholding dipped below 70%. Nevertheless, Exar’s acquisition of Exel Microelectronics in the mid-1980s resulted in substantial investments into underperforming fabrication facilities, which strained the company financially. To restore stability, Rohm reacquired full ownership, facilitating renewed research and development investments and enabling profitability driven by EEPROM and ASIC product lines.

By 1990, Rohm had again lowered its stake to under 50%. Historically, Exar’s executive management predominantly consisted of Japanese expatriates appointed by Rohm. This dynamic changed in 1992 when George Wells, a University of Glasgow alumnus with prior experience at General Electric and LSI Logic, succeeded Nabuo Hatta as CEO. Wells realigned product strategies and prioritized quality improvements, which contributed to increased sales and profitability.

After Rohm’s final divestment in 1994, Wells spearheaded numerous acquisitions—such as Origin Technology, Micro Power Systems, Startech Semiconductor, and Silicon Microstructures—to broaden Exar’s technological portfolio. However, this rapid expansion impacted profitability by early 1995.

On April 3, 2009, Exar finalized its acquisition of hi/fn, inc., involving a combination of stock issuance and approximately in cash. On August 3, 2011, then-President and CEO Pete Rodriguez participated in the NASDAQ opening bell ceremony. Subsequent acquisitions included Altior (2013), Stretch, Inc. (2013), and Integrated Memory Logic Limited (2014).

On March 29, 2017, MaxLinear revealed plans to acquire Exar for $661.6 million in cash; the transaction concluded in May 2017 at a total valuation of $687 million.

Products

Exar’s product range features power management integrated circuits (PMICs) tailored for SoCs, DSPs, FPGAs, and video processing units. Their portfolio also encompasses power distribution switches, analog front-end sensor interfaces, and synchronous optical network transceivers. Additional offerings include BITS Framers and Line Interface Units (LIUs), inductive step-down converters, UART bridges, and GPIO expanders. These components serve a variety of applications within communications and industrial sectors, reinforcing Exar’s standing within the semiconductor market.

See also

• Fremont, California Economy