Manufacturer Introduction: Integrated Circuit Systems, Inc (IDT) Manufacturer

Integrated Circuit Systems (ICS) is considered an industry leader in the design, development, and distribution of timing devices that are used in different application areas such as communication, networking, digital media, and computing, among other many industries.

With the head offices based in Montgomery  County, USA, the company has established a solid foundation in the electronics industry. It has manufacturing plants in different locations such as California, Tempe, Worcester, Arizona, Massachusetts, and also in Singapore. This expansive distribution network helps to optimize the operations of the company.

In 2005, ICS was acquired by Integrated Device Technology (IDT), a world-leading supplier of communication ICs. The deal was estimated to have cost $1.7 billion. The acquisition improved the manufacturing and distribution capacities, especially when it comes to chip production.

 One thing about ICS is its products are used in both consumer and commercial applications. The company uses high-end technological solutions to design and manufacture products that deliver excellent performance in their respective application areas.

Over the years, the company has narrowed down three key areas of technology: communication infrastructure, advanced power management, and high-performance computing.

ICS-IDT history

Integrated Device Technology (IDT), was founded in 1980 where it specialized in the manufacturing and distribution of complimentary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS). These products were mainly used in communication and computing applications.  Shortly after the basic CMOS, the company introduced the first CMOS FIFO in 1982.

IDT entered into the PC clock market in 1993 by introducing a family of clock devices such as CV104, CV105, CV107, and CV109.  All these devices were mainly used on desktop computer platforms. While it, IDT promised to expand its product scope by introducing into the market clock devices that will be used by the next generation of computing devices such as notebooks and even advanced desktop computers.

 In the early 2000s, IDT marked a major milestone in the semiconductor industry by introducing its first embedded microprocessor into the market.  This family of microprocessors was known as RC32334family and was mainly used in communication applications. This was closely followed by the introduction of the company’s first network search engine.

IDT acquired ZettaCom and Internet Machines Corporation in 2004. These two acquisitions proved to be quite pivotal in pushing the company to the next levels of chip production. For instance, they paved the way for IDT to get into the serial switching industry. IDT dropped ZettaCom’s product line of physical-layer switching devices for completely new serial switching devices. On the other hand, the acquisition of Internet Machines paved the way for IDT to enter into the standard-based switching industry. The merger meant that IDT would be the new owner of the PCI Express technology license, which was previously owned by Internet Machines.

 Going into the mid-2000s, IDT had expanded its manufacturing capacity by a great margin.  It had started developing single-chip clocking devices for notebook computers. These chips utilized the Intel Centrino architecture and relied on the PCI Express for the interconnections and signal exchange.

In 2009, IDT collaborated with Micron Technology to develop PCI Express Solid-State Drive solutions. These were mainly used for data storage and networking. The collaboration also resulted in the development of flash controllers that were to be used on the next generation of solid-state drives.

ICS-IDT mergers and acquisitions

From the history, we have already covered quite a good number of mergers and acquisitions that took place in the IDT. Most of these mergers were aimed at enhancing the manufacturing and distribution capacities of the brand.

The first acquisition took place in 1999 when IDT acquired Quality Semiconductor. This was an all-stock that gave IDT the capacity to start developing high logic and networking chips.

Two years later (2001), IDT acquired  Newave, a Chinese semiconductor company. The core purpose of this acquisition is to speed up its expansion in the Asian market. This was a cash-for-stock merger that resulted in making Newave a subsidiary of IDT.

In 2001, IDT acquired Solidum Systems. This was a Fabless semiconductor company that was based in Ottawa and was known for developing a series of rule-based network semiconductor chips.

2004 was another year of a mega deal in which IDT  acquired ZettaCom, a semiconductor company that specialized in serial switching IC chips. This move meant that IDT became one of the major suppliers of communication ICs.

 One year later, IDT acquired  Integrated Circuit Systems in a cash and stock deal. This acquisition paved the way for the company to flex its muscles in producing IC chips for computing, communication systems, embedded solutions, and consumer electronics markets.

2010 was another big year for the IDT it made two major acquisitions. First, the company acquired  Mobius Microsystems. The second deal entails the acquisition of assets owned by IKOR, giving the company the capacity to distribute  VRM components for high-speed computing.

Many other mergers and acquisition deals were signed between IDT and other companies up to 2018 when  Renesas acquired IDT, a deal that was finalized in 2019.

ICS products

As we have already mentioned, ICS produces a wide range of products that are used for timing in different application areas. Some of these products include timing systems,  network search engines, (NSE), flow-control management (FCM)  chips, and an array of solutions for serial switching functionalities.

A good percentage of the products from the company are optimized for network and communication applications. In terms of numbers, the company is estimated to have more than 1300 different product lines and more than 15,000 different product configurations.

 Examples of the product lines that are produced by ICS-IDT include Jitter Attenuation ICs, Oscillators, MUXes, and LVD Transmitters. Receivers, SAW Filters, Clock Synthesizers, Frequency Translation Modules, Video UARTs, and Touch- Screen Controllers.

Like most companies in the field of technology, ICS-IDT has heavily invested in research and development of electronics. It keeps introducing new products that are designed to solve modern technological needs. 

Distribution of ICS-IDT products

In all these years, IDT has put in place measures to enhance the distribution of its products.  One of them entails collaborating with the best suppliers and distributors around the world.  ICRFQ is one of the global suppliers that have been authorized to distribute IC chips from ICS-IDT. Talk to us and we will be glad to supply.