Silicon Labs Strengthens IoT Wireless Leadership with Redpine Signals Acquisition

Silicon Labs announced a strategic $308 million cash purchase of Redpine Signals’ Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth assets, its 200‑person development center in Hyderabad, India, and an extensive patent portfolio.

Through this acquisition, Silicon Labs aims to achieve two key objectives: first, integrate Redpine’s mature product line into its global sales network to boost IoT revenue; and second, leverage the Hyderabad team to accelerate development of Wi‑Fi 6 silicon and software.

Financially, the company projects an incremental $20 million in annual revenue for FY2020, with a target of $100 million from all wireless IoT products by 2023. The new portfolio includes Bluetooth Classic and extended data rate IP, ideal for wearables, hearables, voice assistants, and smart speakers. Additionally, Silicon Labs acquired Redpine’s microcontroller (MCU) business and real‑time location services technology.

Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle

"Acquiring Redpine’s ultra‑low‑power Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth solutions, along with its robust IP portfolio, will reinforce our leadership in IoT wireless technology," said CEO Tyson Tuttle. "By integrating these products into our worldwide sales and distribution network, we will accelerate growth in smart home, industrial IoT, and commercial markets for customers who demand rapid time‑to‑market for Wi‑Fi‑enabled devices.”

During the company’s analyst day webcast, Tuttle clarified that while Wi‑Fi 6 development is a priority, immediate revenue drivers will remain Wi‑Fi 4, Bluetooth, and associated software. "Wi‑Fi 6 is a longer‑term focus; our short‑term growth will come from optimizing existing products and expanding their market reach," he added.

Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) represents a critical evolution in wireless standards, delivering low power, high performance, enhanced security, and interoperability for dense IoT deployments. The integration of Redpine’s technology is expected to accelerate Silicon Labs’ Wi‑Fi 6 silicon, software, and solution roadmap.

"Hyderabad hosts a highly skilled multidisciplinary team essential to the technologies we’re pursuing," Tuttle noted. The acquisition brings an at‑scale design center with roughly 200 employees, positioning Silicon Labs to scale R&D more efficiently in one of India’s most talent‑rich regions.

Following the deal, Redpine’s remaining team will continue to develop ultra‑low‑energy AI and machine‑learning processors. The Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, MCU, and real‑time location services businesses will transfer to Silicon Labs, as confirmed by Redpine’s founder and CEO Venkat Mattela.

Redpine Signals, founded in 2001 and headquartered in San Jose, California, pioneered ultra‑low‑power single‑stream 802.11n chipsets in 2007, self‑contained 802.11abgn modules in 2009, and a multiprotocol chipset with dual‑band Wi‑Fi, dual‑mode BT 4.1, and ZigBee in 2013. Its third‑generation chipset integrates eight wireless protocols on a single 40 nm die, backed by a broad patent portfolio covering OFDM, MIMO, embedded processor architectures, and low‑power techniques.

The transaction has received board and shareholder approval from both companies and is expected to close in Q2 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.