CSR: the leading provider of silicon products and software for the consumer electronics market
A summary of the core business of CSR:
CSR stands for Cambridge Silicon Radio and it started in 1999. The company started with just 36 employees and started when it was spun off from Cambridge Consultants. The firm’s founders, who formally worked at Cambridge Consultants, were Phil O Donovan, James Collier and Glenn Collinson. CSR is a designer, manufacturer of silicon and software products for the consumer electronics market and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. In 2005, the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004. The business began with the development of single-chip Bluetooth devices. They released the world’s first unique Bluetooth chip called BlueCore1 in 2000. During the same year, CSR appointed John Hodgson as CEO, who helped make the company the success it is. CSR went from having just 36 employees in 1999 to 129 employees in 2000. In 2004, CSR acquired Clarity Technologies Inc. for $17.1 million payable in cash. Clarity Technologies was a provider of software and services for the audio quality and performance of voice-based communications systems and products. The merger of both companies broadened CSR’s customer base by giving access to customers in the US. The acquisition of Clarity Technologies also gave CSR proprietary software that gave CSR a competitive advantage in the audio industry.
About your Mergers and Acquisitions:
In 2009, CSR and SiRF merged. SiRF was the largest provider of GPS chips. Two years before the merger, CSR and SiRF were doing phenomenally well with stock values around $28.65 for CSR and SiRF had shares around $39.15. However, the year before the merger, 2008, CSR’s stock market fell to $2.26. And SiRF shares fell to $0.94 per share. The merger of both companies would create a world leader in connectivity and location platforms. A year later, 2010, CSR acquired APT. APT was a leader in delivering the full integrity of the original digital audio and is optimized for instant streaming of audio in real time. When CSR acquired SiRF, CSR gained one of the best audio IP portfolios in the industry.
Once again, CSR merged with another company as part of its strategic business plan. CSR merged with Zoran in 2010. Zoran was a leading provider of digital cameras, printers and the DTV space in the US. The merger of the companies would expand CSR’s portfolio by offering products in new markets such as automotive infotainment, games and others. Following the merger of the two companies, CSR continued to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. A year later, CSR acquired another company, DDFA, Direct Digital Feedback Amplifier. With the acquisition of DDFA, CSR would be able to offer a wide range of consumer products including, but not limited to, speakers, for a variety of wired and wireless active speakers, speaker docks, sound bars, etc.
Markets served:
CSR today primarily serves the following markets:
- Audio
- Automotive
- cameras
- Computing
- Document Images
- Health & Fitness
- home entertainment
- Mobile devices
CSR in the news Again!
The latest news for CSR was that Samsung acquired CSR’s mobile phone connectivity and location operations and associated technology for $34.4 million in 2012. Today, CSR focuses on higher margin businesses and growth areas such as voice and music, automotive infotainment, indoor location search, pictures and Bluetooth. elegant.
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