Private company

Zarlink

Zarlink Semiconductor (acquired by Microsemi in October 2011, itself acquired by Microchip in March 2018) was a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design and manufacture of.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

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Zarlink Semiconductor (acquired by Microsemi in October 2011, itself acquired by Microchip in March 2018) was a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design and manufacture of communication and medical semiconductor integrated circuits, modules, and other devices. In 2011, Microsemi acquired Zarlink in a hostile takeover and merged it into its own operations.2

How it started

Early history

Zarlink was part of Mitel Corporation which was founded by Terry Matthews and Michael Cowpland in 1973. In 1982 the company developed the industry's first T1/E1 framer chip and later introduced the industry's first echo cancellation chip in 1996.

In 1998, Mitel acquired GEC-Plessey Semiconductor in the UK from the General Electric Company for US$225 million in cash, through which it gained wireless technology and communications ASIC and systems integration expertise, including RF (Radio Frequency) technology. The combined semiconductor businesses at the time ranked Mitel among the top ten networking companies in the world.

21st century

By 2000, the semiconductor and PBX divisions had combined annual revenues of USD $1.4 billion. However the semiconductor business was experiencing significant growth while the PBX division grew more slowly in the face of competition from Cisco, Avaya and other significant players.

PBX division

From Wikipedia’s article on Zarlink, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Sources

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