Most of the commentators in this topic are probably EE guys, may be I can find my old classmates here, hi guys:-)<p>Joke aside, AD is probably one of the most profitable companies with unprecedented monopoly on analog components and circuits business. Last week somebody mentioned about Visa and Mastercard duopoly in HN, but with this Maxim acquisition, AD is now the Visa and Mastercard combined while TI is the American Express.<p>To see how profitable AD is please check this article on the AD's 3rd generation transceiver chip and if you are not reading it, basically it's more profitable than drug [1]!<p>I am using every single versions of this AD's transceiver chip for my work, now it is in the latest 6th gen. Suffice to say if you're building 5G transceiver you will need AD's 5th gen transceiver. It's probably not an exxaggeration to say that ITU radio/wireless cellular standards' bandwidth actually following the AD's transceiver chips generations since 5G system can be built by the 5th gen chip but not the 4th gen chip (it's for 4G). The closest competitors are transceivers from LT (already acquired by AD) and the Lime Microsystems from Cambridge, UK.<p>[1]<a href="https://zeptobars.com/en/read/AD9361-SDR-Analog-Devices-DAC-ADC-65nm" rel="nofollow">https://zeptobars.com/en/read/AD9361-SDR-Analog-Devices-DAC-...</a>
Latest in a trend of silicon industry consolidation.
A few other major moves in the embedded market over the last five years:<p>NXP + Freescale in 2015<p>Microchip + Atmel in 2016<p>ON Semi + Fairchild in 2016<p>Infineon + Cypress in 2020
I've actually liked Analog Device's documentation as a hobbyist. Their chips are a bit of a premium compared to others, but Analog Devices often have LTSpice and PSpice models that I can play with in a simulator before buying.<p>I guess Analog Devices makes LTSpice, so it makes sense that they'd be all in for that kind of support.
If you'd told me in, say, 2005 that old-line semiconductor businesses like TI and ADI would be trading at all-time highs in 2020, I would have said you were nuts.
Part of my job (scientific researcher) involves designing high bandwidth circuits with analog electronics (op-amps, transistors, LCR filters, etc.). I really enjoy this part but it's not really my core responsibility. Thinking of potential (long in the future) career changes, does anyone know if this sort of stuff is still done commercially in more than just a few niche fields? Or is it all FPGAs/ASICs these days? And are there any tech companies employing people to mix this sort of thing with software and firmware development too? A sort of "full stack" developer where the stack also includes the hardware side.
More as background to ADI's acquisition of Linear Tech, but often these acquisitions come down to one chipmaker's desire to offer a full system. Take for instance Analog Devices' RF converters: <a href="https://www.analog.com/en/applications/technology/rf-converters.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.analog.com/en/applications/technology/rf-convert...</a><p>These chips cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and are meant for base stations. Analog Devices wants to get a contract with Nokia or anyone else and then also be able to sell the LDOs, PLLs, and clock devices that go along with it (<a href="https://www.analog.com/en/products/AD9213.html#product-tools" rel="nofollow">https://www.analog.com/en/products/AD9213.html#product-tools</a>). Linear Tech was the leader in power and the name is still used for new power products under the "Power by Linear" name with ADI. Hittite offers a number of RF chips. If you're paying $1k for a data converter, what's an extra $50 for all the analog/RF support circuitry? They may even throw it in for free. If you have a complex system with analog/RF/digital circuitry, offering a full reference design with other parts from your own catalog is a great way to ensure that those parts are used.
Not good. If you want high performance analog now there are basically two big players: ADI and TI. On Semi has a bit.<p>I guess inevitable. The high-performance business is getting smaller in volume and consolidation allows prices to go up.
Maxim always was an interesting company. They started out iirc with the lowly MAX232, an all-in-one single supply level converter for RS232 applications, then went on to crank out one neat package after another. Good to see such innovation deliver a payday of this magnitude, and Analog Devices is another top of the line company so for once I'm not afraid that the acquired company will be mismanaged or the product lines killed.
AD got Linear and Hittite. Now Maxim.<p>Who does that leave for high performance ADC/DACs? Texas Instruments. Microchip has a limited selection. That's about it.<p>Lovely.
Wait, but this morning the speculation was $17Bi<p><a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/chip-maker-analog-poised-to-buy-rival-maxim-integrated-for-more-than-17-billion-2020-07-12" rel="nofollow">https://www.marketwatch.com/story/chip-maker-analog-poised-t...</a><p>Crazy values nonetheless
A prayer: please bring back the MAX038. That chip was discontinued ages ago and never replaced, although it would still be handy today in places where DDS or PLL are too noisy and/or complicated.