Agere Systems
{{short description|American integrated circuit components company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Agere Systems, Inc.
| logo = Agere systems Logo.svg
| fate = Merged into LSI Corporation
| successor = LSI Corporation, Avago Technologies, and Intel Corp
| foundation = Spun off from Lucent Technologies on {{start date and age|2002|6|1}}
| defunct = {{end date and age|2007|4|2}}
| location = Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| key_people = Richard L. Clemmer, President and CEO
| num_employees = ~17,000
| industry = Semiconductor-integrated circuits
| products = Integrated circuits
| website = {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209032116/https://www.agere.com/|title=agere.com}}
}}
Agere Systems, Inc. was an integrated circuit components company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Spun out of Lucent Technologies in 2002, Agere was merged into LSI Corporation in 2007.{{Cite news |date=2007-04-02 |title=LSI Logic completes Agere acquisition |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lsi-agere-idUSN0241465420070402 |access-date=2022-03-20}} LSI was in turn acquired by Avago Technologies in 2014. In early 2016, Avago acquired the former Broadcom Corporation, and took on the name Broadcom Inc.
History
Agere was incorporated on August 1, 2000, as a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies and then spun off on June 1, 2002. The name Agere was that of a Texas-based electronics company that Lucent had acquired in 2000, although the pronunciations of the company names are different. The Texas company was pronounced with three syllables and a hard "g": {{IPAc-en|eɪ|ˈ|g|ɪər|ə}}. The company name was pronounced with two syllables and a hard "g": {{IPAc-en|eɪ|ˈ|g|ɪər}}. Agere is a Latin verb meaning "to act", "to do", or "to make".
=Microsoft suit=
In 2007, Agere Systems sued Microsoft for theft of key technology used in Internet telephony.{{cite news | url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/198800210 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126083205/http://www.informationweek.com/news/198800210 | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 26, 2013 | title=Agere Systems Sues Microsoft Over Internet Phone Technology | first=Paul | last=McDougall | work=Information Week | date=2007-04-07 | access-date=2011-05-11 }}{{cite news | url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/agere-says-microsoft-lifted-voip-technology | title= Agere says Microsoft lifted VoIP technology | first=John | last=Letzing | work=MarketWatch | date=2007-03-29 | access-date=2011-05-11}}{{cite news | url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bell-labs-legend-haunts-courtroom-tech-rivals | title=Bell Labs legend haunts courtroom tech rivals | first=John | last=Letzing | work=MarketWatch | date=2007-04-09 | access-date=2011-05-11}}
The allegations concern meetings between Agere and Microsoft in 2002 and 2003, where the companies discussed selling Agere's stereophonic acoustic echo cancellation technology to Microsoft. This technology is used to improve the sound of telephone and teleconference communications over the Internet. Just before the agreement was to be signed, Microsoft ended the discussions saying that it made a significant breakthrough in its own, heretofore undisclosed research program, and no longer needed Agere's technology.
Apart from the main office in Allentown, the company also maintained offices and facilities in:
- Reading, Pennsylvania, USA: The "Reading Works" facility, formerly Lucent/AT&T and Bell Labs. Closed in 2003.
- Orlando, Florida, USA: The "Orlando Plant" was Agere's newest wholly owned wafer fabrication facility in the world. Opened in 1984 by AT&T, it was known for a time in the late 1990s as "Cirent Semiconductor" as it was operated as a joint venture between Lucent Technologies and Cirrus Logic Corporation. The Orlando Plant was also home to Bell Labs' Advanced Development and Research Facility (ADRF). Closed in 2005.
- Dallas, Texas, USA: Agere Optoelectronics South (OES), formerly Hermann Technologies. Acquired in 2000, closed in 2002.
- Irwindale, California, USA: Acquired by Emcore Corporation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2003/01/ageres-west-coast-us-opto-business-acquired-by-emcore-54841197.html|title = StackPath}}
- Whitefield, India: Located in Bangalore, involved in ASIC design and software development.
- Raanana, Israel: This office was based on Modem-Art, a developer of advanced processor technology for 3G/UMTS mobile devices, which Agere acquired in 2005.
- China: Shanghai and Shenzhen.
- Nieuwegein, Netherlands: This former NCR / AT&T / Lucent Technologies division known under the name WCND (Wireless Communication Network Division) was active in the development of Wi-Fi technology and closed in December 2004.
- Ascot, Berkshire, UK: R&D and engineering site developing processor technology for GSM/GPRS/EDGE.
- Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain: Wafer fab. Manufacturing of 0.3, 0.35 and 0.5 micron CMOS devices. Closed in 2001.{{cite news|title =Agere to lay off 4,000 workers, close fab in Spain in massive restructuring of units |first= J. Robert |last= Lineback |url =https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1180800 |date = June 29, 2001 |access-date = June 18, 2019 |work =EE Times}}{{YouTube|id=rOgWCoQGAso|title="Wafer fab."}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Category commons}}
- {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209032116/https://www.agere.com/|title=Official website}}
{{AT&T Spinoffs}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2002 establishments in Pennsylvania
Category:2007 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
Category:American companies established in 2002
Category:American companies disestablished in 2007
Category:Companies based in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Category:Computer companies established in 2002
Category:Computer companies disestablished in 2007
Category:Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania
Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States
Category:Defunct computer hardware companies
Category:Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States
Category:Fabless semiconductor companies
Category:History of Allentown, Pennsylvania