Mindspeed Technologies
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Predecessor | Network Access division of Conexant Systems, Inc. |
| Founded | June 27, 2003 |
| Fate | Acquired by MACOM (2013); wireless segment acquired by Intel |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Integrated circuits for wireless and wired communication networks; ARM-based processors; digital signal processor system-on-chip (SoC) products; high-performance analog components; wide area networking equipment |
| Parent | MACOM (post-2013) |
Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. was a United States-based fabless semiconductor firm specializing in the design and marketing of integrated circuits for both wireless and wired communication networks.
Wireless
Mindspeed developed wireless solutions aimed at infrastructure and small cell base stations. Their ARM-based processors consisted of energy-efficient, multi-core digital signal processor system-on-chip (SoC) products tailored for fixed and mobile (3G/4G) carrier infrastructure, exemplified by the Transcede series, alongside Picochip’s SoCs designed for 3G (HSPA) femtocells and small cell applications.
In 2010, the company introduced the Transcede lineup of wireless baseband processors. This included the single-core Transcede 3000, capable of picocell eNodeB processing consuming less than 10 watts, and the dual-core Transcede 4000, which provided LTE processing across three sectors for macro cells serving thousands of users. The Transcede 4000 incorporated 26 programmable processors, featuring two ARM® Cortex A9® multi-core symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) RISC processors, ten CEVA DSPs, and ten DSP accelerators. This architecture allowed equipment manufacturers to fulfill comprehensive processing requirements for single- and multi-sector base stations supporting standards such as WCDMA/HSPA, LTE, TD-LTE, and China’s TD-SCDMA.
At the 2010 Mobile Excellence Awards, the Transcede 4000 was honored with the Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough accolade.
Following its acquisition of Picochip, Mindspeed integrated Picochip’s small cell SoC portfolio into its Wireless Business Unit.
Communications convergence processing
Mindspeed’s ARM-based offerings include low-power, multi-core digital signal processor system-on-chip (SoC) solutions designed for residential and enterprise platforms under the Comcerto brand, as well as carrier-grade VoIP systems.
These embedded packet processors cater to a range of applications from advanced VoIP home gateways to SMB security devices and Ethernet-powered 802.11n enterprise access points. The Comcerto product line is built around ARM host processors.
In June 2012, Mindspeed unveiled the next-generation Comcerto 2000 series.
High-performance analog
The company’s analog product range encompasses high-density crosspoint switches, optical drivers, equalizers, and signal conditioning components.
These transmission and switching devices support environments such as storage area networks, fiber-to-the-premise deployments, optical transport networks (OTN), and broadcast video systems with data rates spanning from 155 Mbit/s up to 10 Gbit/s.
The portfolio includes laser drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, post amplifiers, clock and data recovery circuits, serializers/deserializers, video reclockers, cable drivers, and line equalizers that facilitate interfacing between fiber optic or coaxial cables and electrical subsystems within networking equipment.
Switching solutions feature high-speed crosspoint switches utilized in OTN infrastructures, add-drop multiplexers, IP switches, storage-area routers, and broadcast video routing systems.
Wide area networking
Mindspeed's traditional wide area network offerings encompassed carrier Ethernet equipment, Layer 2 processing units, T-carrier and E-carrier hardware, as well as symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) solutions.
History
Established on June 27, 2003, Mindspeed Technologies emerged as a spin-off from the Network Access division of Conexant Systems, Inc., resulting in two separately traded semiconductor companies specializing in communications.
Conexant itself was created four years prior following Rockwell International’s divestiture of Rockwell Semiconductor Systems (RSS), concentrating on semiconductor products tailored for communications electronics. The division that preceded Mindspeed was responsible for developing and marketing 56 kbps modem technology for both client and central sites during the 1990s, which enabled dial-up Internet access services.
As a standalone company, Mindspeed utilized its proficiency in analog and mixed-signal technologies to design multi-core packet-processing chips intended for Voice over IP (VoIP) gateways, routers, and communication infrastructures.
In January 2012, Mindspeed expanded its portfolio by acquiring British small-cell innovator Picochip for around $52 million.
In 2013, Mindspeed was purchased by MACOM; meanwhile, its wireless segment was separately acquired by Intel.
Manufacturing
Functioning as a fabless semiconductor company, Mindspeed delegated all chip production to prominent third-party foundries such as TSMC and Samsung.