SiliconBlue Technologies

About SiliconBlue Technologies

SiliconBlue Technologies, established in 2006, carved a specific niche in the semiconductor industry by focusing on ultra-low power Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) solutions. The company was founded by Kapil Shankar, a seasoned professional in programmable logic, who also served as its CEO, and Antti Kokkinen of venture capital firm BlueRun Ventures. Shankar's extensive background in semiconductors and programmable logic was instrumental in steering the company's direction. Before its acquisition, the company was privately held and successfully raised approximately $73 million through multiple funding rounds, backed by investors such as BlueRun Ventures, Crosslink Capital, NEA, and Atlantic Bridge.

The firm's business centered on providing programmable logic solutions, specifically for the consumer handheld and mobile device market. Its clients were primarily top-tier consumer Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) developing products like smartphones, e-readers, tablets, digital cameras, and other portable, battery-operated devices. SiliconBlue's revenue model was based on the sale of its semiconductor chips, having shipped millions of units before its acquisition. A significant milestone was its acquisition by Lattice Semiconductor in December 2011 for approximately $62 million in cash. This event marked a strategic move for Lattice to enhance its position in the mobile consumer market, integrating SiliconBlue's team and product lines. Following the acquisition, Kapil Shankar transitioned to Lattice as the Corporate Vice President of the Mobility Business Unit.

SiliconBlue's core offering was its 'mobileFPGA' devices, most notably the iCE65 and iCE40 series. These were single-chip, CMOS SRAM-based FPGAs engineered for minimal power consumption, a critical requirement for battery-powered electronics. A key feature was the patented non-volatile configuration memory (NVCM), which integrated the memory needed to configure the FPGA directly onto the chip, eliminating the need for a separate external component and thus saving space and cost. This allowed mobile device designers to quickly add or modify features like connectivity, sensor management, and video processing late in the development cycle, offering the flexibility of FPGAs at prices competitive with ASICs. The company also provided a comprehensive design environment, including iCEcube development software and evaluation kits, to support its customers.