Earlier this year chip maker Qualcomm announced plans to acquire Atheros Communications. Now it’s official. The $3.1 billion acquisition is complete and Atheros is now a subsidiary of Qualcomm.
Qualcomm is already one of the top chip designers for cellphones, offering speedy smartphone processors and wireless communications. But Atheros has had a broader focus, producing chips for phones, tablets, notebooks, and desktop computers and other devices.
For instance, just last week Atheros introduced a new dual-band, dual-stream WiFi chip for audio and video devices including televisions, set-top-boxes, and Blu-ray players.
It’s not clear whether the acquisition foreshadows a major push toward notebooks and other consumer electronics products for Qualcomm. Right now the chip maker’s products are primarily found in phones and tablets.