Qualcomm’s NXP Acquisition and Impact for the Audio Industry

With rumors already circulating for some time, on October 27, 2016, Qualcomm announced a definitive agreement, unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, under which Qualcomm will acquire NXP Semiconductors. With the acquisition, Qualcomm gets access to a vast portfolio of solutions from the Dutch giant, which was once Philips Semiconductors and remains until now a leading supplier of key technologies for mobile devices and wireless and wired audio applications.

Finding innovation in old places, Freescale Semiconductor has engineered a modern application for a classic music format – record albums. For the first time, an eight-inch silicon wafer was programmed and etched to play a music recording, just like a vinyl record album. Developed within the Freescale Discovery Lab, this retro project intends to demonstrate the unique expertise in the company’s engineering and manufacturing facilities.