Maxim Acquires Phyworks for Optical Transceiver Chips

Maxim Integrated Products has acquired Phyworks Ltd., a privately held developer of optical components based Bristol, UK, for approximately $72.5 million in cash.


Phyworks has a substantial presence in the PON market with solutions for GPON, GEPON and 10GEPON, and with customers in the U.S. and Asia, including China, Korea and Japan. It also supplies VCSEL transceivers, LASER transceivers, transimpedance amplifiers, and equalizer & retimers.


Phyworks' gross margin is better than the Maxim average. The company was founded in 2001 and its primary investors are Add Partners, Advent Venture Partners, Atlas Ventures, and DFJ Esprit.


Maxim describes the acquisition as synergistic to its optical transceiver product line. Maxim and Phyworks combined will have market share leadership for transceiver chips for optical modules.


"Phyworks is very pleased to be joining Maxim," said Stephen King, President and CEO of Phyworks. "As the optical communications markets continues to evolve, technologies from both companies can be combined to create higher performance, lower cost solutions that will enable end users to build next generation optical networks. Maxim is the ideal partner for our customers and for our employees, and this combination strengthens Maxim's position as a leader in the markets we share."http://www.maxim-ic.com
http://www.phyworks-ic.com