March 7, 2001–Ottawa, Canada–SiGe Microsystems announced today that it has manufactured more than six million ICs to date, and achieved several key design wins. The company also recently changed its name to SiGe Semiconductor to reflect the completion of its transition to a product-oriented, fabless semiconductor company.

In announcing the name change, SiGe Semiconductor’s CEO Jim Derbyshire remarked on the desire of the company to be clearly associated with the design of semiconductor products. “We are proud of our heritage as an innovator in silicon germanium process technology and we will continue to build on that success. However, we recognized the need for an identity that reflects our corporate future, one that it is consistent with our target markets. It also respects the attributes that have brought us to this point as a company,” he said.

The corporate name change represents another milestone in SiGe’s drive to become a major fabless semiconductor company, according to Derbyshire. Armed with $34 Million (Cdn) in equity funding secured in the spring of last year, the company has made several strategic moves including the introduction of its first products including the next generation Class 1 Bluetooth power amplifier, the smallest device of its kind in the world.