
PMC-Sierra was founded in 1989 by a team of experienced engineers who had a vision to create a company that would design and manufacture high-performance semiconductor products.
The company's early success was fueled by its focus on developing innovative solutions for the rapidly growing telecommunications industry.
PMC-Sierra's first product was a digital signal processor, which was released in 1991 and quickly gained popularity among telecommunications equipment manufacturers.
This product was a major breakthrough for the company, establishing it as a leader in the industry.
Company Information
PMC-Sierra is a company that has a rich history dating back to 1989. It was founded by a group of entrepreneurs who had a vision to create a leading provider of broadband communications and storage solutions.
The company's headquarters is located in Irvine, California. PMC-Sierra has been a publicly traded company since 1993.
PMC-Sierra has a diverse portfolio of products and solutions that cater to various industries, including communications, storage, and consumer electronics. Their products are used in a wide range of applications, from telecommunications networks to data storage systems.
The company has a strong focus on research and development, with a significant portion of its revenue invested in R&D every year.
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Acquisitions

PMC-Sierra was considering an acquisition possibility in 2012, but it would be very expensive. This option was on the table as the company was emerging from two major setbacks.
The company had to weigh the pros and cons of acquiring another company versus continuing to build solid state drive products internally. This decision was crucial in determining the future direction of the company.
PMC-Sierra had learned valuable lessons in corporate entrepreneurship over the previous few years, which would inform its decision. The company had to decide how to organize its next development effort, drawing from these lessons.
The acquisition option would have been a significant investment, but it could have provided the company with new technologies and expertise. PMC-Sierra had to consider whether this would be a worthwhile risk to take.
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Technology and Products
PMC-Sierra was a fabless semiconductor company that designed and tested products, with wafer fabrication and assembly outsourced to third-party suppliers.
The company had a vast portfolio of over 250 different semiconductor devices that were sold to equipment manufacturers, who in turn supplied their equipment to communications network service providers and enterprises.
PMC-Sierra's customers included major industry players like HP, EMC Corporation, Huawei, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, ZTE, and Juniper.
PMC-Sierra offered products for storage networks and systems, including interconnect and controller products for SAS and SATA storage systems and server computer RAID controllers.
The company also provided Fibre Channel controller and system interconnect products, and acquired the channel storage business from Adaptec, which was later named "Adaptec by PMC" and made SAS/SATA RAID Adapters.
PMC-Sierra's communication ICs were used in various applications, including metro access, metro transport, FTTH/PON, Ethernet over SONET/SDH, Optical Transport Network (OTN), and wireless base transceiver stations (BTS).
The company's UniTRX chipsets were highly integrated, low-power RFICs for wideband radio modules that operated in the 400 MHz to 4 GHz frequency range, addressing the performance requirements of 3GPP and 3GPP2 macro base station radio transceivers.
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Microsemi Headquarters Location

Microsemi is based in Sunnyvale, California. It's a great location for a tech company, close to Silicon Valley and all the innovation that comes with it.
The company's NAICS codes are [33441, 3344, 33, 334], which gives you an idea of the types of products and services they offer.
SIC Code for Microsemi
The SIC code for Microsemi is a specific classification used in the industry. The SIC code for Microsemi is [36, 367].
Technology
PMC-Sierra was a fabless semiconductor company that designed and tested products, with wafer fabrication and assembly outsourced to third-party suppliers. This approach allowed them to focus on innovation and meet the demands of their customers.
The company had over 250 different semiconductor devices that were sold to equipment manufacturers. These manufacturers, in turn, supplied their equipment to communications network service providers and enterprises.
PMC-Sierra's customers included major players in the industry, such as HP, EMC Corporation, Huawei, Cisco, and Alcatel-Lucent. They also worked with Fujitsu, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, ZTE, and Juniper.
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PMC-Sierra's products were used in a variety of applications, including broadband communications, storage semiconductors, and laser printers. Their semiconductor devices were highly sought after by customers due to their high quality and performance.
The company's semiconductor devices were used in a range of products, from metro access and fiber to the home equipment to wireless infrastructure and enterprise storage systems.
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Printers
PMC-Sierra has a range of products for printers, including both laser and multi-function printers. Their discrete and system-on-chip products cater to the needs of various printer manufacturers.
PMC-Sierra's printer products offer a high level of customization and flexibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.
One notable aspect of PMC-Sierra's printer products is their focus on both laser and multi-function printers. This indicates that they have a diverse product portfolio that can meet the needs of different types of printers.
In terms of specific products, PMC-Sierra's printer offerings are not explicitly listed in the provided article section. However, their presence in the market is a testament to their expertise in the field.
PMC Sierra
PMC Sierra was a leading provider of broadband communications and storage solutions.
PMC Sierra was founded in 1991 and was based in Sunnyvale, California.
The company's products included broadband communications and storage solutions, such as DSL and cable modems.
PMC Sierra's DSL products were widely used in the early 2000s.
The company's storage solutions were also popular among data center and enterprise customers.
PMC Sierra was acquired by Micrel in 2008.
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History
PMC-Sierra was founded in 1992 as a private company focused on providing networking semiconductors, with investment from Sierra Semiconductor.
Sierra Semiconductor itself was founded in 1984 in San Jose, California by James Diller, and received funding on January 11, 1984 from Sequoia Capital.
The company had a significant breakthrough in 1995 with the first OC-12 (622 Mbit/s) S/UNI transceiver chips, developed using ideas from UBC Electrical Engineering students.
This innovation put PMC-Sierra 3 years ahead of Bell Labs in its optical transceiver development, revolutionizing the optical networking chipset market.

In 1996, Sierra Semiconductor announced its decision to exit the personal computer modem chipset business, restructuring its other non-networking products and focusing on its networking products.
This move led to the redundancy of 150 employees, and the company's headquarters was later moved to Burnaby.
PMC-Sierra acquired Bipolar Integrated Technology in Beaverton, Oregon, for about $10 million to enter the Ethernet business in late 1996.
The company continued to expand through acquisitions, including Integrated Telecom Technology Inc. in 1998 for $55 million in cash and stock.
Between 2001 and 2015, PMC-Sierra had multiple rounds of layoffs, including 350 employees in 2001, 176 employees in 2003, and 89 employees in 2005.
In 2010, PMC-Sierra acquired Wintegra Inc. for $240 million, and in 2013, it acquired IDT's Enterprise Flash Controller Business.
The company's history also includes a significant acquisition in 2006, when it acquired Passave, Inc. for approximately $300 million.
In 2015, PMC-Sierra was the target of acquisition attempts from Skyworks Solutions and Microsemi, ultimately leading to an agreement with Microsemi to acquire the company in November 2015.
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