After four years of existence, SoundChip SA, specialising in active noise cancellation (ANC) technology for headsets, has been acquired by the DSP Group for up to $20 million. DSP will integrate SoundChip’s patented Soundflex technology to deliver wireless headsets. Google, Panasonic and Technics have also already adopted the combined technology in their headset models.
SoundChip SA is a leading supplier of electroacoustic technology and engineering services. The company’s patented ANC technology, which features advanced situational awareness and augmented audio capabilities, enables smart headsets with class-leading ANC, enhanced speaking comfort and smart-audio features, including Smartaware and Framed Adaptive.
The DSP Group, a global leader in wireless chipsets for a wide range of smart-enabled devices has agreed to pay $14.5 million in cash upon closing of the acquisition of Soundclip and up to an additional $6.0 million, subject to the performance of certain business criteria. The transaction is projected to close in the third quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.
The acquisition combines SoundChip’s proven capabilities in hybrid ANC with DSP Group’s SmartVoice advanced low-power voice processing platform, algorithms, and mixed-signal expertise to streamline the delivery of cutting-edge wireless and true wireless stereo (TWS) headsets, from concept through to manufacturing. According to Strategy Analytics, the total market for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) units is expected to grow to 1.2 billion units by 2024, representing an $8 billion overall addressable market (TAM) for DSP Group.
“We have been working closely with SoundChip on a number of shared-customer designs, and the acquisition is a natural and exciting evolution for us both,” said Ran Klier, CVP & GM Hearables and UC product lines at DSP Group. “Our tier-one customer base includes some of the world’s leading headset brands. For them, and for all of our current and future customers, we are highly optimistic that the unique combination of DSP Group’s SmartVoice and SoundChip’s ANC technologies will generate solid demand for their next generation of hearable products.”
Global brands benefit from Swisstech
DSP Group’s advanced SmartVoice solution is driving Google’s recently launched Pixel Buds 2. Earlier this year, Technics and Panasonic launched ANC-enabled TWS headsets based on a family of new advanced hybrid ANC codecs from DSP Group incorporating SoundChip’s patented Soundflex technology.
(Press release/RAN)
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