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Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. was an American semiconductor manufacturer. It was created by the divestiture of the Semiconductor Products Sector of Motorola in 2004. Freescale focused their integrated circuit products on the automotive, embedded and communications markets. It was bought by a private investor group in 2006, and subsequently merged with NXP Semiconductors in 2015.<ref>NXP Semiconductors And Freescale Semiconductor Close Merger RTTNews. Retrieved on December 13, 2015.</ref>
HistoryEdit
Divestiture from Motorola and first IPOEdit
As of 2003, Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector earned US$5.0 billion in semiconductor sales in 2002 (out of US$27 billion sales for all of Motorola).<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press releaseTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Motorola announced that their semiconductor division would be divested on October 6, 2003 and would have a temporary name SPS Spinco.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Freescale completed its Initial public offering (IPO) on July 16, 2004, at a price of US$13. In its announcement, it estimated the stock price to be US$17.50- 19.50 but following a cooling of the market towards tech stocks, it lowered its price to US$13. Existing shareholders of Motorola stock received 0.110415 shares of Freescale stock for every share of Motorola stock as a dividend which was distributed on December 2, 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
BuyoutEdit
On September 15, 2006, Freescale agreed to accept a buyout for the sum of $17.6 billion ($40 per share) by a consortium led by the Blackstone Group. Share prices of $13 at the July 2004 IPO had risen to $39.35 in afterhours trading that Friday when the news, rumored that week, broke. A special shareholders meeting on November 13, 2006, voted to accept the buyout offer. The purchase, which closed on December 1, 2006, is reportedly the largest private buyout of a technology company and one of the ten largest buyouts of all time.<ref>Freescale sells itself for $17.6bn cash – or more 15th September 2006</ref><ref>Freescale Took Scenic Buyout Route October 4, 2006</ref><ref>Freescale Semiconductor Bought Out by Blackstone for $17.6Billion September 25, 2006</ref><ref>Consortium of Private Equity Firms Completes Acquisition of Freescale Semiconductor December 1, 2006</ref>
Second IPOEdit
Freescale filed to go public again on February 11, 2011, and completed its IPO on May 26, 2011. Freescale was traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FSL. At the time of the IPO, the company had $7.6 billion in outstanding debt on its books,<ref name="Freescale Debt">Template:Cite news</ref> and the company was investigated for misconduct related to this IPO.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MH370Edit
On March 8, 2014, Freescale announced that 20 of its employees were lost aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
MergerEdit
A merger agreement with NXP Semiconductors was announced in March 2015, to form a Template:US$ billion company.<ref name="nxp-merger">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The acquisition closed on December 7, 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ProductsEdit
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AutomotiveEdit
A MEMS-based satellite accelerometer, an Airbag System Basis Chip as well as a dual-axis SPI inertial sensor designed for use with the PSI5 open standard airbag systems were announced in 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A microcontroller meant to be used in anti-lock braking systems as well as electronic power steering applications was released in 2008.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Freescale also produced pressure sensors for engine management systems.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Freescale's SMARTMOS analog portfolio provides power actuation and multiple switch detect interface family ICs and system basis chips for hybrid vehicles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In November 2008 Freescale announced that the company would collaborate with McLaren Electronic Systems to further develop its KERS system for McLaren's Formula One car from 2010 onwards. Both parties believed this collaboration would improve McLaren's KERS system and help the system filter down to road car technology.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other business unitsEdit
Besides the MSG (Micro-controller Solutions Group), Freescale's other major semiconductor businesses are the NMG (Networking and Multimedia Group) as well as RASG (RF, Analog and Sensors Group). Freescale, under the guidance of IBM, had also been a source of PowerPC microprocessors (ICs) for Apple Computer's PowerBooks and Mac mini products until the Mac transition to Intel processors in 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They joined Power.org in 2006 as a founding member to develop and promote the use of Power Architecture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
DragonBall is a low power derivation of the earlier Motorola 68000 family microprocessors. Freescale also has a portfolio of Digital Signal Processor (DSP) products based on StarCore Technology. Freescale's DSPs are being used in Broadband Wireless, Voice Over IP and video infrastructure systems.
LitigationEdit
Freescale was sued by Marvell Semiconductor for infringing seven patents. The case was settled in 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Freescale lost a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Tessera Corporation and was forced to pay an undisclosed amount as part of the settlement.<ref>Tessera and Freescale Settle Litigation. Business Wire (August 27, 2013). Retrieved on 2019-04-26.</ref>
See alsoEdit
- ON Semiconductor, another Motorola semiconductor spinoff
- List of Freescale products
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Blackstone Companies Template:NXP Semiconductors Template:Austin Template:Authority control