Nvidia has announced that it will be acquiring Icera, a manufacturer of baseband processors for 3G as well as 4G cellular mobile phones and tablet PCs. The GPU and mobile processor maker stated that this deal will assist it, in delivering a more complete and fully optimised mobile platform.

 

Icera has over 550 patents granted or pending worldwide, and its high speed wireless-modem products have been approved by north of 50 carriers from across the globe.

 

The acquisition for $367 million in cash has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors and is expected to be completed, subject to customary closing conditions, in around 30 days.

 

Following the conclusion of the deal Nvidia will be able to practically double its revenue opportunity per mobile device. This is because it will be manufacturing the two main processors employed within smartphones, namely the application processor and baseband processor.

 

“This is a key step in NVIDIA’s plans to be a major player in the mobile computing revolution,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of Nvidia. “Adding Icera’s technology to Tegra gives us an outstanding platform to support the industry’s best phones and tablets.”

 

Stan Boland, president and CEO of Icera, said, “NVIDIA’s Tegra processor has the most impressive roadmap in the industry, and it is an ideal match for Icera. As part of NVIDIA, we will be able to reach a broader market. Our team has collaborated closely with NVIDIA for several years on a range of projects, and we’re delighted to be joining forces.”

 

Nvidia also recently announced the Quadro 400 graphics processing unit (GPU), its latest professional graphics solution targeted at designers and engineers.