American multinational semiconductor company, Analog Devices (ADI) has acquired Flex Logix, a 10-year-old embedded FPGA (eFPGA) and AI IP company, bringing its technology assets and engineering team under ADI's portfolio. The acquisition, whose financial terms were undisclosed, positions ADI to strengthen its digital offerings, supporting advanced chip designs and enhancing flexibility in systems-on-chip (SoC) and ASIC applications.

“This acquisition significantly enhances our digital portfolio, enabling us to better support customers in solving complex challenges,” an ADI spokesperson told EE Times. ADI Executive VP Gregory Bryant highlighted on LinkedIn that Flex Logix's expertise in eFPGA will be crucial as ADI advances its strategy to lead at the intelligent edge. “Flex Logix's eFPGA technology, which enables the seamless integration of FPGA fabric into SoCs and ASICs, is a key building block that allows us to build differentiated platforms,” he noted.

Founded in 2014 by CEO Geoff Tate, CTO Cheng Wang, and UCLA professor Dejan Markovic, Flex Logix developed its eFPGA IP to offer customizable and reprogrammable solutions for SoC designers. Its technology is used across multiple industries, with customers including DARPA and U.S. government programs requiring advanced, reprogrammable chip designs. Flex Logix also licensed its technology to Renesas, which incorporated it in its ForgeFPGA line for low-power applications, and to Dialog Semiconductor for its configurable power management ICs.

Flex Logix's AI-focused InferX IP also attracted industry attention, designed for AI and machine learning applications across a wide range of process nodes, including GlobalFoundries' 22nm FD-SOI process. Although the company wrapped up sales of its InferX X1 accelerator in 2023, it retained InferX IP to embed AI capabilities in high-volume consumer devices.

This acquisition is part of a broader trend of consolidation in the FPGA industry, with Intel's acquisition of Altera and AMD's purchase of Xilinx in recent years. As the market for embedded FPGA grows, ADI's acquisition of Flex Logix adds to its arsenal as it joins companies like Renesas and Texas Instruments in launching competitive, low-density FPGA products.

Flex Logix raised $82 million prior to its acquisition and licensed its technology to over 40 companies globally.