"I am pleased to complete the transaction with Syntiant and I would like to thank the Consumer MEMS Microphone teams around the world for their dedication and commitment to the business and to Knowles’ customers throughout the years," said Knowles Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Niew. "This transaction represents another significant milestone in Knowles' transformation into a premier industrial technology company focusing on higher value markets where we can continue to drive value through our product design, process technology and our ability to customize solutions for customers at scale."
Knowles' CMM division offers a wide range of high performance SiSonic MEMS microphones that are essential for voice and audio applications in smartphones, smart speakers and wearables, among other market segments, including emerging automotive applications and household appliances.
"The addition of the Knowles CMM business gives Syntiant a leadership position in the rapidly growing, multibillion-dollar MEMS microphone market, while delivering new solutions that combine cutting-edge sensors, processors and high-performance machine learning models, redefining the future of AI-enabled audio and voice interfaces," adds Kurt Busch, CEO of Syntiant. "As large language models continue to transform industries by enabling advanced natural language understanding and automation, we are accelerating the development of next-generation solutions for autonomous vehicles, smart home devices, industrial automation and beyond. Moreover, this acquisition brings invaluable talent and global customer relationships to Syntiant, reinforcing our ability even further to innovate and scale globally."
"More than 50 million Syntiant Neural Decision Processors (NDPs) and deep learning models have been deployed worldwide, delivering highly accurate, artificial intelligence in edge devices with ultra-low- power consumption. The integration of advanced MEMS sensors into Syntiant’s existing hardware-software capabilities provides customers with a total edge AI audio solution that simplifies product development and accelerates time-to-market, while remaining scalable, secure and customizable to fit a wide range of applications," the company states in the acquisition announcement.
The acquisition by Syntiant was financed through a collaborative effort led by Khazanah Nasional Berhad (the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia) and Boardman Bay Capital Management, which provided equity funding, and Structural Capital, which arranged debt financing.
"The shifting global supply chain and the rising demand for chips in emerging technologies like AI have created a significant opportunity for Malaysia to advance in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing value chain," explains Dato' Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir, managing director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. "Khazanah is committed to supporting Syntiant’s vision for the growth of Malaysia’s semiconductor ecosystem, while the acquisition aligns with our goal of fostering technological advancements in the region and promoting national economic development."
"We see this acquisition as a pivotal moment that will enable Syntiant to offer unparalleled innovations in intelligent voice and audio solutions," confirms Will Graves, chief investment officer at Boardman Bay Capital Management. "Kurt and his team are true visionaries. Our financial commitment reflects Boardman Bay’s deep confidence in their ability to drive the future of edge AI."
"Syntiant’s commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to empower innovative companies," added Kai Tse, chief investment officer of Structural Capital. "We believe this deal will accelerate Syntiant’s growth and strengthen its market presence, while further enhancing its ability to deliver transformative solutions across a wide range of industries."
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Irvine, California, Syntiant Corp. is a pioneer in hardware and software solutions for edge AI deployment. The company's purpose-built silicon and hardware-agnostic models are being deployed globally to power edge AI speech, audio, sensor and vision applications across a wide range of consumer and industrial use cases, from earbuds to automobiles. The company is backed by several of the world’s leading strategic and financial investors including Intel Capital, Microsoft’s M12, Applied Ventures, Bosch Ventures, the Amazon Alexa Fund, and Atlantic Bridge Capital.
Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, Knowles will remain in the market with its high-performance capacitors, RF/Microwave filters, advanced medtech microphones, balanced armatures, and miniaturization products.
www.knowles.com
www.syntiant.com
