Synaptics Incorporated announced the opening of a wireless research and development center in the Sophia Antipolis technology park in southeast France. Focused on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hardware and software development, the facility will serve as a hub for the design of Synaptics’ next-generation short-range wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT).
“Our wireless connectivity technology is an essential differentiator for us as we continue to expand into high-growth IoT applications which now represent our largest revenue category,” said Synaptics’ CEO, Michael Hurlston. “The center adds to the investments Synaptics has already made in wireless, including the acquisition of Broadcom’s Wireless IoT Business in 2020 and the more recent acquisition of DSP Group, with its ULE and Bluetooth technology. Synaptics has already put together a team at the new center with a combined 130 years of experience and is looking to add talent as quickly as possible.”
“Locating an engineering center here makes strategic sense on many levels, France offers an extremely supportive environment to help scale operations for fast-growing technology companies like Synaptics, and Sophia Antipolis is a well-known hotbed of innovation, particularly in the areas of analog and RF circuit design. The Synaptics France team will be a vital part of our global R&D efforts and we are very excited to become an integral part of the technology community here.”
Venkat Kodavati, SVP and Chief Product Officer at Synaptics
“It is a pleasure to welcome Synaptics—an innovative, global technology developer—to tap the depth of talent and infrastructure benefits our region offers,” said Philippe Servetti, CEO of Invest in Côte d'Azur, a public body dedicated to helping companies to quickly get established in France. “The Côte d'Azur region is increasingly recognized as a center of excellence for semiconductor design, and Synaptics’ track record of success and highly respected engineering capabilities, particularly in the area of wireless and the IoT, will be a perfect fit for our ecosystem here.”
Synaptics offers a range of advanced wireless connectivity solutions for the IoT, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ULE, Zigbee, and GNSS technology. Its high-performance, low-power solutions help engineer exceptional experiences in the home, in the car, on the go, and at the office. It recently announced its innovative Triple Combo™ platform that combines three wireless interfaces—Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and IEEE 802.15.4—with support for Thread, Zigbee, and Matter. The three radios come on a single chip to enable integration and interoperability across heterogenous devices and networks.
About Sophia Antipolis
Home to 2500 electronics, computing, telecommunication, and biotechnology companies employing more than 38,00 people, Sophia-Antipolis is a 2,400 hectare technology park located in southeast France. The park is supported by the Sophia-Antipolis Foundation whose mission is to encourage “technological and scientific innovation and research projects at the service of mankind and the environment.” Sophia Antipolis is named after Sophie Glikman-Tourmarkine, the wife of French Senator Pierre Laffitte, who founded the park.
About Synaptics Incorporated:
Synaptics is changing the way humans engage with connected devices and data, engineering exceptional experiences throughout the home, at work, in the car, and on the go. Synaptics is the partner of choice for the world’s most innovative intelligent system providers who are integrating multiple experiential technologies into platforms that make our digital lives more productive, insightful, secure, and enjoyable. These customers combine Synaptics’ differentiated technologies in touch, display, and biometrics with a new generation of advanced connectivity and AI-enhanced video, vision, audio, speech, and security processing.