Manufacturer Introduction: Cortina Systems, Inc (Inphi) Manufacturer

Cortina Systems is a global supplier of integrated systems for broadband communications. The company was founded by an Iranian-American entrepreneur Amir Nayyerhabibi in 2001 in California. The company was eventually bought by Inphi Corporation in 2014.

But before it was even bought, Cortina had a rich history behind it. Founded in 2001, Cortina in Menlo Park California, Cortina recorded 13 years of Stellar performance in the field of integrated circuits and other related technologies. Most products from the manufacturer tend to be based around computer, networking, and telecommunication industries. It manufactures products that are used in the core enterprises as well as the metropolitan high-speed networks.

Most of the products from the manufacturer were used in high-end applications. This means that they were optimized for speed and performance.

As a fabless semiconductor company, Cortina outsources its semiconductor manufacturing business to merchant foundries However, the company is still in charge of many other aspects of semiconductor design and development. It has a massive research and development unit that is always committed to ensuring that the brand delivers innovative solutions.

Before it was eventually acquired by Inphi Corporation, it had also acquired many other businesses that were also in the field of semiconductor manufacturing.

In 2004, Cortina acquired Azanda Network Devices, a company that specializes in traffic management, ATM segmentation, and reassembly products.

In 2006, It acquired Intel’s Optical networking component division. This division specializes in producing various networking products such as Ethernet frames, Ethernet PHYs, Ethernet over SONET service framers, and T1/E1 Line Interface units.

In 2007, Cortina acquired Immenstar, a company that specialized in the passive optical networking system-on-chip technology.

In 2008, it acquired Storm Semiconductor, a company that specialized in producing network processors for the home.

All these acquisitions contributed to the steady growth of Cortina. They ensured that the company would expand its product lines, covering various products that had a direct impact on modern technology. As you can see, most of these products were directly related or connected to computer networking.

Inphi completes acquisition of Cortina Systems

In 2014, Inphi Corporation, a leading provider of high-end mixed-signal semiconductor solutions announced that it had completed the acquisition of Cortina Systems. The acquisition included Cortina’s High-Speed Interconnect and Optical Transport product lines. The total transaction for this acquisition was valued at $131 million.

Through this major acquisition, Inphi was able to solidify its position in the market as a leading supplier of high-speed optical networking interconnects. Even before the acquisition, it was already causing major ripples in this market, especially with its comprehensive networking portfolio that encompassed a broad range of products such as CDR ICs and PHY/SerDes Gearbox. With the acquisition, it means that Inphi was now the new owner of Cortina’s 10G/40G/100G transport interconnect products.

The combination of Inphi and Cortina Systems did more than just the expansion of the product lines. It also brought together a team of talented engineers and researchers that would facilitate the pushing of the brand’s goals to the next level. It provided the easiest path through which Inphi can push itself to be the leader of the networking solutions provider.

Overview on Inphi

Inphi Corporation is a leading provider of various semiconductor solutions that are used in networking applications. They include high-speed mixed semiconductor signals that are used for data communications and computing.

The company’s end-to-end data transport solutions are known for high speeds and data integrity. This was mainly because the company was committed to addressing key issues that were facing the data industry. Speed and integrity emerged as the top pertinent problems.

Various solutions that Inphi provided were tailored to address such issues. They provided a key interface between analog signals and digital data in high-performance application areas such as telecommunication, data centers, enterprise networking, security areas, and transport systems among others.

To attain such goals and reach such incredible heights, Inphi needed to acquire other companies that specialized on such similar products. This is why the company had to acquire Cortina. It also made deeper investments in research and development (R&D). This was the only way that the company would remain competitive in the world of telecommunication and networking.

Cortina/Inphi products

Here are some of the most notable products that were associated with Cortina Inphi brands:

· Ethernet solutions that had different data speeds and capacities

· PHY

· Framers

· Digital home processors

· Transceivers and repeaters

· High-speed analog ICs

· Silicon photonics

· Reimers

· Network Gearbox

· Drivers

· Coherent DSPs

· PAM4

· Opto-electronics

· And many other devices and products that are directly connected to the networking technologies.

Beyond providing standard solutions, Inphi/ Cortina had the full capacity to produce customized solutions. Under this, they provided different products that address specific application needs and requirements.

Marvell acquires Inphi

In 2020 Inphi Corporation was acquired by Marvell. This was a move that the latter hoped would accelerate its growth and leadership in the field of cloud and 5G technologies. This is because Inphi was already an established market leader when it came to the provision of a high-speed data interconnect platform. Inphi was also popular for its high-speed electro-optics products that are used in cloud and data centers.

Marvell, on the other hand, was a market leader in storage, networking, and security products. This meant that a combination of Marvell and Inphi would result in a robust powerhouse of data infrastructure. Since 5G and cloud technologies were proving to be the next hottest thing, Marvell was optimistic about the acquisition of Inphi. The combined company will be in a perfect position to serve the needs of a data-driven world to the fullest. It will also provide adequate resources and technologies to penetrate deeper into the electronics market.

ICRFQ: Authorized distributor of Cortina/Inphi products

Other than manufacturing products, Cortina/Inphi has also put a significant amount of investment into the distribution of its products. The brand has established several distribution centers in different countries around the world. These centers ensure that customers get the right products and even technical assistance when they need it.

Inphi has also partnered with independent electronic component distributors such as ICRFQ who facilitate in the distribution of the company's products.