STMicroelectronics, a chip provider that manufactures a number of microcontrollers for the IoT, has purchased two companies in the wireless radio space. STMicroelectronics acquired BeSpoon which posseses expertise in ultrawideband technology. This is a technology that Apple is incorporating into its iPhones for fine-grained location. Subsequently they also purchased Riot Micro, which is a company that has solutions geared toward cellular connectivity. The article that follows provides more details on the deal, and offers insights into what STMicroelectronics future plans are for the acquisitions.
STMicroelectronics today announced two separate deals, one to acquire ultra-wideband (UWB) technology specialist BeSpoon and the other to buy the assets of Riot Micro, which was developing cellular Internet of things (IoT) connectivity. With the acquisitions, ST aims to strengthen its wireless connectivity capabilities, especially in support of its STM32 microcontrollers and secure MCUs.
BeSpoon, based in Le Bourget du Lac, France, is a fabless semiconductor company, founded in 2010, that specializes in UWB communications technology, developed over time in partnership with CEA-Leti in Grenoble, France. At CES in Las Vegas in 2014, BeSpoon showed a smartphone concept equipped with UWB, called the SpoonPhone.
