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Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO), a developer of advanced thin film etch and deposition process equipment, and Ultratech, Inc. (NASDAQ: UTEK), a supplier of lithography, laser-processing and inspection systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and LEDs, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for Veeco Instruments Inc. (“Veeco”) to acquire Ultratech, Inc. (“Ultratech”). The Boards of Directors of both Veeco and Ultratech have unanimously approved the transaction.

Ultratech shareholders will receive (i) $21.75 per share in cash and (ii) 0.2675 of a share of Veeco common stock for each Ultratech common share outstanding. Based on Veeco’s closing stock price on February 1, 2017, the transaction consideration is valued at approximately $28.64 per Ultratech share. The implied total transaction value is approximately $815 million and the implied enterprise value is approximately $550 million, net of Ultratech’s net cash balance as of December 31, 2016. Post transaction it is projected that Ultratech shareholders will own approximately 15 percent of the combined company.

Ultratech is a recognized leader of lithography products for Advanced Packaging applications and for LEDs and is a pioneer for laser spike anneal technology used for the production of semiconductor devices. In addition, the company offers wafer inspection solutions leveraging its proprietary coherent gradient sensing (CGS) technology which address a wide variety of semiconductor applications.

“The strategic combination will establish Veeco as a leading equipment supplier in the high growth Advanced Packaging industry. Ultratech’s leadership in lithography together with Veeco’s Precision Surface Processing (PSP) solutions form a strong technology portfolio to address the most critical Advanced Packaging applications. We believe our complementary end market exposure and customer relationships will create the ideal platform to accelerate growth,” said John R. Peeler, Veeco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Ultratech is a great fit with our strategy to profitably grow our business and diversify our revenue. We expect this transaction to be immediately accretive to adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS.”

Ultratech Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Arthur W. Zafiropoulo said, “Both companies have a strong heritage of developing innovative and cutting-edge technologies. The combined company will create a formidable team to execute against growth opportunities and deliver significant value to customers and shareholders.”

Veeco expects to realize approximately $15 million in annualized run rate synergies within 24 months after closing, to be achieved through increased efficiencies and leveraging the scale of the combined businesses. The combined company is expected to have an efficient balance sheet, benefiting from the deployment of excess cash.

The transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2017, subject to approval by Ultratech shareholders, regulatory approvals in the U.S. and other customary closing conditions.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) and TDK Corporation (TOKYO:6762) today announced the completion of the previously announced joint venture under the name RF360 Holdings Singapore PTE. Ltd. (RF360 Holdings). The joint venture will enable Qualcomm’s RFFE Business Unit to deliver RF front-end (RFFE) modules and RF filters into fully integrated systems for mobile devices and fast-growing business segments, such as Internet of Things (IoT), automotive applications, connected computing, and more. The business being transferred constitutes a part of the TDK SAW Business Group activities.

“The ongoing expansion of mobile communication across multiple industries, and the unprecedented deployment of multi-carrier 4G technologies now reaching over sixty-five 3GPP frequency bands are driving manufacturers of wireless solutions to higher levels of miniaturization, integration and performance, especially for the RFFE in these devices,” said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and president, QCT. “Further, 5G will increase the level of complexity even more. To that end, the ability to provide the ecosystem a truly complete solution is essential to enabling our customers to deliver mobile solutions at scale and on time.”

Together with RF360 Holdings, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI) will be ideally positioned to design and supply products with end-to-end performance and global scale from the modem/transceiver all the way to the antenna in a fully integrated system.

RF360 Holdings will have a comprehensive set of filters and filter technologies, including surface acoustic wave (SAW), temperature-compensated surface acoustic wave (TC-SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW), to support the wide range of frequency bands being deployed in networks across the globe. Moreover, RF360 Holdings will enable the delivery of RFFE modules from QTI that will include front-end components designed and developed by QTI. These components include CMOS, SOI and GaAs Power Amplifiers, a broad portfolio of Switches, Antenna Tuning, Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) and the industry’s leading Envelope Tracking solution.

Deepening collaboration between Qualcomm and TDK

In addition to operating the joint venture, Qualcomm and TDK will deepen their technological cooperation to cover a wide range of cutting-edge technologies for next-generation mobile communications, IoT and automotive applications.

“The deeper collaboration with Qualcomm fits perfectly into our growth strategy,” said Shigenao Ishiguro, President and CEO of TDK Corporation. “It is a further step that aims to open up new promising business opportunities for TDK, while strengthening the company’s innovativeness and thus competitiveness in such attractive future markets as sensors, MEMS, wireless charging and batteries. Our customers will clearly benefit from the resulting unique and comprehensive technologies and products portfolio.”

Amkor Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMKR) and NANIUM S.A. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Amkor to acquire NANIUM, a provider of wafer-level fan-out (WLFO) semiconductor packaging solutions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of NANIUM will strengthen Amkor’s position in the fast growing market of wafer-level packaging for smartphones, tablets and other applications. NANIUM has developed a high-yielding, reliable WLFO technology, and has successfully ramped that technology to high volume production. NANIUM has shipped nearly one billion WLFO packages to date utilizing a state-of-the-art 300mm Wafer-Level Packaging (WLP) production line.

“This strategic acquisition will enhance Amkor’s position as one of the leading providers of WLP and WLFO packaging solutions,” said Steve Kelley, Amkor’s president and chief executive officer. “Building on NANIUM’s proven technologies, we can expand the manufacturing scale and broaden the customer base for this technology.”

“The Amkor transaction is a great fit for us and provides NANIUM and its employees with a strong platform for future growth,” said Armando Tavares, President of NANIUM’s Executive Board. “Amkor’s technology leadership, substantial resources and global presence coupled with NANIUM’s best-in-class WLFO packaging solutions will accelerate global acceptance and growth of this technology worldwide.”

NANIUM is based in Porto, Portugal, employs approximately 550 people and had annual sales of approximately $40 million for their fiscal year ended September 30, 2016. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Micron Technology, Inc. today announced the upcoming retirement of its Chief Executive Officer, Mark Durcan. The Board of Directors has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process and has initiated a search, with the assistance of an executive search firm, to identify and vet candidates. The Board has not established a timeframe for this process and intends to conduct a deliberate review of candidates who can contribute to Micron’s future success. Mark Durcan will continue to lead Micron as CEO during this process and will assist the company with its search and subsequent leadership transition.

“Mark Durcan recently discussed with the Board his desire to retire from Micron when the time and conditions were right for the company,” said Robert E. Switz, Chairman of the Board and a member of the search committee. “As CEO, he has successfully guided Micron’s strategy and growth for the past five years and has allowed the company to initiate this transition from a position of strength. The Board is committed to thoughtful long-term succession planning and takes seriously its responsibility to maintain a high-caliber management team and to ensure successful executive leadership transition. We expect Mark to play an instrumental role in securing and transitioning his replacement.”

Micron Technology, Inc., is a global leader in advanced semiconductor systems. Micron’s broad portfolio of high-performance memory technologies—including DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash—is the basis for solid state drives, modules, multichip packages and other system solutions. Backed by more than 35 years of technology leadership, Micron’s memory solutions enable the world’s most innovative computing, consumer, enterprise storage, networking, mobile, embedded and automotive applications. Micron’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

As the demand for smaller, faster, and more functional electronics continues to grow, so does the challenge of reliability. DfR Solutions, a leader in quality, reliability, and durability (QRD) solutions for the electronics industry, and Ops A La Carte, a professional reliability engineering firm, today announced that they have joined forces to host a free symposium on design reliability for the electronics industry. The Silicon Valley Reliability Symposium will be held on Thursday, February 9th, 2017 at the Biltmore Hotel and Suites in Santa Clara, CA from 8:00 AM until noon. Attendees will hear from leading reliability experts on product design and testing topics that can improve performance, productivity, and profit, not to mention customer satisfaction.

DfR Solutions is the creator of Sherlock Automated Design Analysis software, an innovative design reliability analysis tool that streamlines new product development by providing greater insights earlier, eliminating test failures due to design flaws, and accelerating product qualification. Ops A La Carte offers end-to-end reliability solutions that help companies around the world meet their product reliability goals. Together, their insightful presentations will empower the design of better, more reliable products in Internet of Things (IoT), Wearables, Consumer, and other innovative markets.

“In today’s competitive marketplace, you can’t afford to deliver an unreliable product,” said DfR Solutions CEO Craig Hillman. “We’re excited to show electronics developers how to use Reliability Physics to decrease product development time and increase product integrity and profitability.”

According to Jay Muns, Owner & Managing Director at Ops A La Carte, “Product reliability is a critical part of the product development process.  The ROI is confirmed again and again by assigning resources up front in the design of a reliable product.”  “Our goal with this symposium is to demonstrate how sound reliability design practices, from conception to product introduction, have a dramatic effect on decreasing the costs associated with warranty, customer service, and customer satisfaction/retention,” stated Muns.

Scheduled symposium topics and speakers include:

Physics of Failure Based Reliability Simulation
Dr. Gil Sharon, Senior Application Engineer
DfR Solutions

Design for Reliability
Fred Schenkelberg, Senior Reliability/Quality Consultant
Ops A La Carte

Test Plan Development
Dr. Craig Hillman, CEO
DfR Solutions

Reliability Test Methods and Applications 
Fred Schenkelberg, Senior Reliability/Quality Consultant
Ops A La Carte

The Biltmore Hotel and Suites is located at 2151 Laurelwood Rd. in Santa Clara, CA. Attendance is free. Breakfast will be served.

To register for the Silicon Valley Reliability Symposium, visit: http://www.dfrsolutions.com/upcoming-events/2017-silicon-valley-reliability-symposium

(Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part article; Part 1 is here)

By Denny McGuirk, president and CEO, SEMI

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail,” was how I started last week’s article.  In that article we looked back on 2016 and the incredible progress of the industry and how it continually cuts new trail and keeps moving at the speed of Moore’s Law.  In this week’s follow up, I would like to talk about where the industry is going and how SEMI is changing to keep up with it.  As not everyone is aware of all SEMI does, the following is a quick reminder on how SEMI works to represent the industry before looking ahead to 2017, specifically, and beyond.

SEMI, the global non-profit association connecting and representing the worldwide electronics manufacturing supply chain, has been growing with the industry for 47 years.  SEMI has evolved over the years, but it has remained as the central point to connect.  Whether connecting for business, connecting for collective action, or connecting to synchronize technology, SEMI connects for member growth and prosperity.

Our industry is in the midst of a vast change.  To deal with the escalating complexity (making a semiconductor chip now uses the great majority of the periodic table of the elements) and capital cost, many companies have had to combine, consolidate, and increasingly collaborate along the length of the electronics manufacturing supply chain.

Some companies have broadened their businesses by investing in adjacent segments such as Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE), MEMS, Sensors, LEDs, PV, and Display.  Lines are blurring between segments – PCBs have morphed into flexible substrates, SiP is both a device and a system.  Electronics integrators are rapidly innovating and driving new form factors, new requirements, and new technologies which require wide cooperation across the length of the electronics manufacturing supply chain and across a breadth of segments.

The business is changing and SEMI’s members are changing.  When SEMI’s members change, SEMI must change, too – and SEMI has, and is.  SEMI developed a transformation plan, SEMI 2020, which I wrote about at the beginning of 2016.  We’re well on our way on this path and I’d like to update you on what we’ve accomplished and what’s to come.

SEMI 2020: “The Only Time You Should Look Back is to See How Far You’ve Come”

SEMI organized its SEMI 2020 transformation into three basic pillars of the SEMI 2020 strategy.  First, “reenergizing the base,” where SEMI focuses on enriching delivered value for the present day needs of its traditionally engaged membership base.  Second, “building communities and collaboration,” where SEMI works to develop specific forums and groups to meet specific needs and focus on specific technologies and products.  Third, “evolving SEMI value propositions for 2020,” which is the work of changing and innovating SEMI products and services for the needs of the industry in the future.

To date, SEMI has made great progress on these three pillars, here are a few examples:

1. Reenergize Base

  • Grew membership to ~2,000 global SEMI member companies
  • Growth in SEMICON expositions:
    • 248,738 global exhibition visitors in 2016 (up 8 percent year-over-year)
    • 4,410 global exhibitors in 2016 (up 5 percent in m2 of exhibition space sold)
  • Realignment of SEMI with organization changes in Americas, China, Europe, and HQ

2. Build Communities and Collaboration

 

  • FlexTech joined SEMI as Strategic Association Partner: SEMI FLEX conferences and programs are now in America, Europe, Korea, SEA and Japan
  • MEMS and Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) joined SEMI as Strategic Association Partner
  • SEMI Special Interest Groups developed and globalized — Chemical and Gases Manufacturers Group (CGMG), SEMI integrated Packaging and Test (SiPAT), Semiconductor Components, Instruments & Subsystems (SCIS), etc. — integrating broad areas of the supply chain
  • Development of SEMI Collaborative Technology Platforms with initial activities in Interconnect, Heterogeneous Integration Roadmap (partnered with IEEE CPMT, EDS, & Photonics Societies), etc.
  • Introduction and co-sponsoring of special interest programs such as FUTURECAR and regional SMC conferences

 

3. Evolve SEMI Value Propositions for 2020

  • SEMI (automation) Standards adapted for Smart Manufacturing (Industry 4.0)
  • Improved channels: new SEMI Global Update, new website, social media (follow SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter), infographics
  • New data products such as 200mm report, packaging report, mobile version of fab database (FabView)
  • New programs such as SEMI European MEMS conference
  • SEMI Foundation widening scope on Workforce Development
  • Advocacy activities leveraging collective action on trade, industry funding, export control, taxation, and sustainable manufacturing (including regulation of safety, materials, and environmental impact).

 

SEMI 2020: “The Road to Success is Always Under Construction”

 

SEMI continues to conduct surveys, uses multiple means of gathering the voice of the customer, and constantly aligns with guidance from its various committees, regional advisory boards, and International Board of Directors.  Despite its name, SEMI 2020 is a journey and not a destination.  SEMI will continue to evolve, develop, and add critical communities, services, products, and industry advocacy as SEMI’s members evolve.

While many of the SEMI activities captured above will continue, the following provides a sampling of activities more specific to SEMI’s work in 2017.

1. Reenergize Base

  • Increase frequency and depth of SEMI outreach and grow SEMI’s global membership and engagement
  • Launch SEMICON Europa 2017 co-location with productronica in Munich to connect to electronics manufacturing supply chain while preserving SEMI’s core community within its own show
  • Launch new engagement and experiential components at SEMICON West and SEMICON Japan
  • Move HQ headquarters to more member-suited, collaborative, efficient, and smaller building in Milpitas

 

2. Build Communities and Collaboration

 

  • Develop four vertical application collaborative forums:  World of IoT, Smart Automobile, Smart Manufacturing, and Smart MedTech
  • Fully integrate FlexTech and MSIG into SEMI’s global infrastructure and develop regional communities and events for these distinct adjacent communities
  • Provide association services to the Fab Owners Association as a SEMI Strategic Association Partnership
  • Continue to develop and increase global participation in SEMI Special Interest Groups such as SCIS, CGMG, and SiPAT to provide the specific and current needs of SEMI’s members

 

3. Evolve SEMI Value Propositions for 2020

  • Provide greater inbound and outbound member visibility and member services for fast-developing China region
  • Further develop SEMI Standards for Smart Manufacturing including a focus on big data and security
  • Advocate for funding for SEMI member pre-competitive projects in all global regions
  • Develop and improve industry training and education capabilities in all regions
  • Raise visibility for SEMI in securing unrestricted trade for semiconductor manufacturing and extended supply chain

“Roads Were Made for Journeys, Not Destinations”  

This quotation, generally attributed to Confucius, ties the themes of the road of this year’s annual update to my personal journey.  As you may know, at the end of 2016, I announced my intention to retire and while I’ll remain until a successor is identified, this will be my last SEMI update.

My personal journey has definitely not been a straight line and that’s made it all the more interesting – and, I hope, made me a “more skillful driver.”  Instead of the road, the sky used to be my home (although, with trips to Asia and Europe, sometimes it still feels like I’m still there!), with many years flying with the United States Air Force.  After that, my path led to the world of non-profit leadership and eventually, prior to SEMI, leading IPC, the interconnect trade association.  As the industry has blurred the borders of PC boards and substrates and semiconductor packages, maybe it was natural that I would also shift from IPC to SEMI.

I’ve been at SEMI for over five years and have constantly been amazed by the speed of the industry, the exceptional professionals and their astounding innovations, and the tight global cooperation and support.  When I started, there was a flashpoint in the potential jump to pursue the 450mm wafer size.  I got to know our industry and our members very quickly!  But, I almost immediately learned, this is a unique industry where collaboration across the electronics manufacturing supply chain is critical, where global stakeholders are well connected, and where – with Moore’s Law as precedent – industry leaders are used to working together, no matter if collaborators or competitors, for the good of the industry.

I am grateful to call many in our industry friends.  It is with regret that I won’t be seeing these friends as frequently as before, certainly.  However, I am pleased to be leaving behind a sound a valued SEMI organization with the professionals and plans in place to carry SEMI 2020 forward and deliver more valued services, products, and above all connections for its members.  I am happy for my time at SEMI and am grateful to the SEMI staff, SEMI International Board of Directors, and SEMI Members for the opportunity to serve the amazing association

CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ:CVV), a provider of chemical vapor deposition systems, announced today that its CVD Materials Corporation subsidiary plans to open a US facility for expansion of the corrosion resistant coating services currently offered through its Tantaline CVD ApS subsidiary in Nordborg, Denmark. Tantaline A/S was originally founded in 2007 as a spin off from The Danfoss Group and is an established leader in the commercialization of tantalum-treated parts for corrosion resistance. CVD acquired the assets and IP of Tantaline A/S in December 2016 and established in Nordborg a new and wholly-owned CVD subsidiary operating under the name Tantaline CVD ApS (“Tantaline”).

This innovative tantalum chemical vapor coating technology, called Tantaline® treatment, is used to create a tantalum alloy surface on high performance parts including valves, fittings, autoclaves, process chambers, flow reactors, fasteners, mixers, flowmeters, and medical devices, as well as other parts that are prone to corrosion in harsh environments. A broad range of industries including chemical processing, oil & gas, mining, pharmaceutical, and medical use these parts. Tantaline® treated parts outperform most high priced specialty alloys and perform nearly at the level of solid tantalum parts in hot corrosive acidic environments (>150° C) such as those exposed to sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids as part of their production process. Tantaline® treatment therefore provides corrosion resistance at a much lower cost than solid tantalum parts.

Leonard Rosenbaum, President and CEO stated “We are extremely pleased with the pace of integration and early performance of Tantaline CVD ApS. This planned expansion will further CVD’s corrosion resistant technology and applications base and provide additional services and capabilities to new and existing customers. We are now considering where in the US to locate the new facility. Our equipment know-how and proven ability to scale up deposition processes will be leveraged into offering high value added materials, as well as our traditional products and services to our current and new customers. This is the first step in our combined organic and acquisition growth initiative for 2017.”

FlexTech, a SEMI strategic association partner, today announced a contract with ITN Energy Systems of Littleton, CO to develop and produce a flexible, solid-state lithium battery reducing packaging bulk by integrating a thin, flexible ceramic substrate. The unique ceramic substrate material is produced by ENrG Inc. of Buffalo, NY and is technology licensed from Corning Incorporated. The project duration is 15 months with a total value of $1.5 million.

“This work will break new ground in flexible battery development and address the many challenges associated with this area,” notes Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, chief technology officer for FlexTech | SEMI.  “This technology is one of the most promising for multi-cell packages and infinitely-expandable battery components.”

“We look forward to working with FlexTech and the FlexTech Technical Council in developing this new approach to flexible power supplies which promises up to 10x the capacity with one-half the thickness of products currently in the market,” said Brian Berland, chief science officer for ITN Energy Systems. “Once completed, we believe that rapid market adoption of this product is highly likely, since power availability and management is a significant bottleneck to many innovative FHE products.”

This type of battery is widely sought by developers of flexible electronic printed devices, such as wearable and medical devices. Product goals include a size of no larger than 2″x 3″ x .01″ and up to a 500 mAh capacity.  This thin film approach to lithium batteries eliminates the liquid electrolytes which are part of the typical lithium-ion product, and has caused difficulties with heat dissipation and reliability of some products on the market. The benefits of placing these batteries on ceramic substrates include low water and oxygen transmission without adding packaging material, cost or thickness. An important part of the project is selecting a sealing material based on compatibility with the assembly process and the ultimate performance of the battery.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) Wafer Manufacturing Market: By Application (IDMs, Memory manufacturers, and Foundries) & By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, RoW)-Forecast (2016-2022)” report to their offering.

Epitaxy is the process of deposition of a crystalline layer over a crystalline-based semiconductor substrate or surface. Globally, development of efficient and advanced technology, rising demand for electronic devices including laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, smartphones, flourishing electronics and semiconductor industry, and advantageous properties of semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer are the prime growth drivers of the semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market.

Geographically, Asia Pacific dominated the semiconductor ‘Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market, followed by North America. Asia Pacific is projected to have the fastest growth, owing to a rapidly increasing demand for semiconductor devices like logic, analog, opto, and sensor devices, rise in industrial sector, and presence of several semiconductor foundries, such as Samsung and TSMC in developing nations such as China, and India in this region. Among all the applications, foundries segment has the highest market share in the semiconductor ‘Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market due to a spur in consumption of laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, smartphones.

In addition, emergence of memory devices like 3D NAND and DRAM, increase in adoption of semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing for application in new industrial verticals, and emerging economies such as China, India and others, will create new opportunities for the semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market. However, higher initial cost of manufacturing, complex government approval processes, and higher cost of semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer as compared to conventional mineral oils are the key restraints for the semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market.

This report identifies the semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market size for the years 2014-2016, and forecast of the same till the year 2022. It also highlights the market drivers, restraints, growth indicators, challenges, and other key aspects with respect to the semiconductor Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market.

This report identifies all the major companies operating in the semiconductor ‘Epi’ (Epitaxy) wafer manufacturing market. Some of the major companies’ profiles in detail are as follows:

Applied Materials
Tokyo Electron
Hitachi Kokusai Electric
Canon Anelva Corporation
Sillicon Valley Microelectronics

LTE for IoT chip maker Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS) today announced the opening of a new development site in Sophia Antipolis, on the Côte d’Azur, in the south of France. The new team currently includes ten engineers who will support Sequans’ core development of LTE semiconductor solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT).

“By establishing this facility in Sophia Antipolis, where there is a vibrant community of software and embedded systems engineering talent, we were able to efficiently strengthen our development capabilities to meet the requirements of our growing list of customers in the worldwide market phenomenon known as the Internet of Things,” said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO. “Establishing ourselves in Sophia Antipolis quickly with a proven team is an important step in implementing our long-term global R&D strategy. This choice has been made thanks to the personalized support of Team Côte d’Azur, the official investment promotion agency of the Côte d’Azur, which streamlined the process.”

“Our territory is already a welcoming land for companies who appreciate the quality of tech talent Côte d’Azur has to offer,” said Jean-François Chapperon, head of International Networks, Team Côte d’Azur.

Sequans recently released its newest LTE for IoT chip, an LTE-M / NB-IoT chip called Monarch, based on the latest LTE standard and highly optimized for IoT. In less than one year, Monarch has gone from introduction, to operator certification, to deployment, and has already been designed into numerous LTE for IoT devices.

The new facility in the south of France is Sequans’ eleventh site among its worldwide locations. The new team will work closely with Sequans main R&D engineering team at the company’s Paris headquarters.

Sequans Communications S.A. is a provider of single-mode 4G LTE semiconductor solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and a wide range of broadband data devices.