Conexant

Conexant Systems, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Semiconductors and software
Founded	Registered on NASDAQ as a public company in 1999
Headquarters	Irvine, California, U.S.A.
Key people	Denis Regimbal, CEO
Products	Semiconductor solutions for voice and audio processing (AudioSmart) and imaging (ImagingSmart), modems
Revenue	$112 million (FY14)
Number of employees	312 (2014)
Website	www.conexant.com

Conexant Systems, Inc. is an Irvine, CA-based software developer and fabless semiconductor company that provides solutions for voice and audio processing, imaging and modems. The company began as a division of Rockwell International, before being spun off as a public company. Conexant itself then spun off several business units, creating independent public companies which included Skyworks Solutions and Mindspeed Technologies.

History

In 1996, Rockwell International Corporation incorporated its semiconductor division as Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc. On January 4, 1999, Rockwell spun off Conexant Systems, Inc. as a public company.^[1] It was listed on the NASDAQ under symbol CNXT on January 4, 1999.^[2] At that time, Conexant became the world's largest, standalone communications-IC company.^[1] Dwight W. Decker was its first chief executive officer and Chairman of its Board of Directors. The company was based in Newport Beach, California.^[2]

In the early 2000s, Conexant spun off several standalone technology businesses to create public companies, in an effort to add shareholder value for its existing shareholders.^[3]

In March 2002, Conexant entered into a joint venture agreement with The Carlyle Group to share ownership of its wafer fabrication plant, called Jazz Semiconductor.^[4]

In June 2002, Conexant spun off its wireless communications division, which merged immediately following the spinoff with Massachusetts-based chip manufacturer Alpha Industries Inc. to form publicly held Skyworks Solutions Inc.^[5] In June 2003, Conexant spun off its Internet infrastructure business to create the publicly held company Mindspeed Technologies Inc.^[6] Mindspeed would eventually be acquired by Lowell, MA-based M/A-COM Technology Solutions.^[7]

In 2004, Conexant merged with Red Bank, NJ semiconductor company GlobespanVirata, Inc., with Conexant as the surviving corporation. Subsequently, GlobespanVirata’s name was changed to Conexant, Inc.^[8]

In April 2008, Conexant announced the sale of its broadband media processing business, which provided chip solutions for satellite, cable and IPTV applications, to Dutch semiconductor manufacturer NXP Semiconductors NV.^[9]

In September 2008, Jazz was sold to Israel-based Tower Semiconductor Ltd and became known as TowerJazz.^[10]

In August 2009, Conexant sold its broadband access product line to Fremont, CA semiconductor company Ikanos Communications.^[11]

In February 2011, an agreement was announced for San Francisco investment firm Golden Gate Capital to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Conexant at a price of $2.40 per share, and take the company private.^[12]

In February 2013, citing the burden of servicing debt related to multiple corporate acquisitions in the late 1990s, as well as the loss of revenue from the bankruptcy of key customer Eastman Kodak, Conexant filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. As part of the bankruptcy agreement, the company agreed on a restructuring plan with owners and its sole secured lender, QP SFM Capital Holdings Ltd.^[13] The reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy in July 2013. As part of the operational restructuring, the company moved its headquarters from Newport Beach to nearby Irvine, and focused on a narrower product portfolio, consisting of far-field voice input processing-based devices, video surveillance solutions and printer systems on a chip (SoCs).^[14]

In February 2016, it was announced that Korean electronics company LG Electronics was going to integrate Conexant's CX2092x far-field voice input processor system-on-chip (SoC) into two of its smart home products, a set top box and an IoT hub for controlling home electronic devices. The Conexant component enhances the LG products' ability to pick up voices from across the room, at a variety of angles relative to their microphones.^[15]

In March 2016, Conexant announced that their AudioSmart software was being integrated into Qualcomm's Hexagon digital signal processor family, a major component of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor reportedly contained in over 1 Billion smart devices.^[16]

Product line

Conexant has two main product families: the AudioSmart brand of audio processors and the ImagingSmart brand of image processors and modems.

AudioSmart

AudioSmart is a line of analog-to-digital converters (AD Converter), codecs, USB digital signal processor (DSP) codecs, voice/speech processors, and software, designed to enhance the processing of audio signals to improve performance of electronic audio equipment.

• AD Converters - Conexant's analog to digital converters are designed for far-field voice/speech capture applications. They take noisy analog signals, convert them to digital, and enhance the signal before transmitting it to third party speech recognition products.^[17] The technology is used in consumer products such as video cameras, voice-interactive Smart TVs, set-top-boxes, gaming consoles, voice conferencing systems and in-vehicle entertainment. A low power version with a standby mode and a fast wake up mode is used for battery powered devices.^[18]
• Codecs - Conexant's codecs are designed to encode and then decode digital signals, to allow their initial transmission, storage or encryption, and eventual playback or editing. The codecs are installed in tablets and PCs, and also used for consumer audio applications such as conferencing, streaming media and editing. Integrated amplifiers, equalizers and dynamic range compression capabilities improve the quality of the received audio signal.^[19][20]

• USB & I²S DSP codecs - Conexant's DSP codecs with USB and integrated interchip sound (I²S) interfaces support interconnectivity with electronic devices such as headsets and docking stations.
• VoiceSpeech processors - Conexant's VoiceSpeech line of system-on-chip (SoC) speech processors add voice command capabilities to smart TVs.^[21] Far-field voice pre-processing algorithms and 24-bit analog-to-digital conversion prevent a noisy television itself from interfering with a user's commands. Technology the company calls Smart Source Pickup maintains speech recognition in the presence of external noise, such as in retail environments or at tradeshows.^[22] At CES 2016, Conexant introduced a new four microphone voice input processor for smart voice applications, which included the company's Smart Source Locator (SSL) software, which gives the chip 360-degree voice location and speech recognition from as far as 15 meters away.^[23]
• AudioSmart software - Conexant develops AudioSmart software, a suite of audio and voice processing technologies enabling far-field voice communication and far-field speech control with improved barge-in performance. Applications include speech recognition for smart home, smart phone, IoT, robotic and wearable devices, voice calls using social media apps, or Skype calling. Conexant's AudioSmart software is available on Windows, Android and Linux operating systems.

ImagingSmart

ImagingSmart is a line of silicon and software solutions designed to enhance the processing of images to improve performance of image dependent electronic equipment, such as document and photo imaging controllers, digital video, and devices with integrated fax or data modems, such as printers or point of sale terminals.

• Document and photo imaging controllers - Conexant offers single-chip solutions for single-function and multi-function printers, photo printers, and other advanced printers. The chips integrate several input/output features, including USB and serial, and embedded firmware allows printing to shared printers using tablets or smartphones. The technology is compatible using Wi-Fi with Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, Cloud Image Xfer and Cloud Document Print.^[24]
• Digital video - Conexant's digital video and image encoders and HD processors support improved video communication. Low power and HD options are available for different applications. The company also offers analog video decoders which capture and convert analog, terrestrial, and digital broadcast video.
• Fax modem chips and data modem chips - Conexant's fax modem chips with VoIP support add fax modem functionality to multi-function printers. The low-power chips support v.34 packet connectivity over enterprise networks, per the ITU-T G.1050 Network model for evaluating multimedia transmission performance over Internet Protocol.^[25] Data modem chips are deployed in point of sale terminals.

Operations

Conexant's headquarters is in Irvine, CA, and the company has offices and operates worldwide.^[26][27]

References

1. "Rockwell Semi spin-off Conexant will target communications IC market". eetimes.com. 1998-11-10. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
2. Conexant Systems (1999-01-29). "Prospectus". Form S-3/A. US Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
3. Junko Yoshida (2013-03-05). "How Conexant ended up filing for Chapter 11". EE Times. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
4. "Conexant's foundry spin-off becomes 'Jazz Semiconductor,' serves 27 customers". eetimes.com. 2002-05-06. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
5. "Alpha's and Conexant's wireless spin-off becomes 'Skyworks Solutions'". eetimes.com. 2002-05-21. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
6. "Conexant details Mindspeed spinoff plans". eetimes.com. 2003-03-24. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
7. "M/A-COM to Buy Mindspeed for $272M". eetimes.com. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
8. "Conexant Systems To Buy GlobespanVirata". informationweek.com. 2003-11-03. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
9. "NXP to acquire Conexant Broadband Media Processing unit for initial $110m in cash to expand set-top box + digital TV operation". opticalkeyhole.com. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
10. "Tower completes Jazz acquisition". eetimes.com. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
11. "Ikanos Communications wraps acquisition of Conexant's broadband line". fiercetelecom.com. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
12. "Golden Gate buys Conexant". eetimes.com. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
13. "Chipmaker Conexant Systems files for chapter 11, to slash debt". reuters.com. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
14. "Conexant lays out post-Chapter 11 game plan". eetimes.com. 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
15. "LG Turns to Conexant for Voice Control of Smart Home Devices". Speech Tech Magazine. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
16. "Qualcomm to Integrate Conexant AudioSmart into Hexagon DSPs". Speech Tech Magazine. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
17. "Conexant Targets Far-Field Voice Processing for TVs, PCs, Smartphones & Tablets". eetimes.com. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
18. "CX20823 Mono ADC for Voice Input AudioSmart Product Brief" (PDF). conexant.com. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
19. "Conexant Launches New HD Audio CODEC For Mobile". anandtech.com. 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
20. "I2S Audio CODEC with AudioSmart Amplifier". eeweb.com. 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-12-18..
21. "Voice input processor SoC targets smart TVs(2)". electronicproducts.com. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
22. "Conexant Systems and Sensory Partner". speechtechmag.com. 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
23. "Conexant takes sound and voice control to the next level". edn.com. 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
24. "Conexant Embedded Imaging Software Supports Broadcom Wi-Fi Networking Solution". technews.tmcnet.com. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
25. "CES: VoIP-enhanced fax modem chips make multifunction printers smarter". embedded.com. 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
26. "Contact us". conexant.com. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
27. "Conexant duplicates Audio Technology Testing facility in Taiwan". electronics-eetimes.com. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2015-12-18.

External links

• Official website