Cirrus Logic acquires Italian mixed-signal chip specialist

Cirrus Logic has acquired INVENTVM Semiconductor, a fabless integrated circuit developer based in Pavia, Italy, extending its engineering capabilities in mixed-signal power management and audio processing. The transaction brings an established European semiconductor design operation into the US company’s organisation, alongside intellectual property developed for audio amplification, digital signal processing and power conversion applications.

INVENTVM specialises in analogue and mixed-signal circuit design, an area requiring close integration between semiconductor hardware, control algorithms and the electrical characteristics of the devices being driven. Its work spans audio integrated circuits, amplifier technologies, power management systems and custom chip development. Cirrus Logic has worked with the Italian company for several years, providing an existing technical relationship on which to build the acquisition.

The acquisition expands Cirrus Logic’s engineering resources in Pavia, where INVENTVM’s developers work across analogue circuit architecture, digital signal processing and application engineering. The buyer plans to extend its presence in the region, but has not specified recruitment numbers, capital expenditure or changes to individual product programmes.

INVENTVM’s technology portfolio includes PiezoDrive, an audio and haptic drive architecture designed to operate piezoelectric transducers. Unlike conventional dynamic speakers, which typically present an inductive and resistive load and require substantial drive current, piezoelectric transducers behave primarily as capacitive loads and operate using comparatively high drive voltages. Their electrical characteristics require different amplifier and power conversion arrangements, particularly where battery power, package dimensions and acoustic performance must be balanced.

The company’s PiezoDrive implementation combines amplifier circuitry with digital signal processing and voltage conversion. Its published technical specification includes 46 V peak-to-peak drive capability, support for piezoelectric loads up to 10 µF and an integrated boost converter using envelope tracking. The associated signal processing controls how the transducer is excited, since mechanical resonance and frequency response of the driven surface influence the resulting sound and vibration.

Piezoelectric drivers can turn display panels and other suitably constructed surfaces into acoustic radiators, potentially reducing the need for conventional miniature loudspeakers. The mechanical properties of the surface, mounting method and acoustic loading determine practical results, so amplifier and signal processing functions must be developed alongside the physical design. INVENTVM also offers technology for compact speaker drivers and battery management, extending its portfolio beyond piezoelectric applications.

INVENTVM’s mixed-signal expertise spans the analogue behaviour of transducers and the digital functions used to control them. Achieving low noise, acceptable energy consumption and predictable transient response requires coordination between circuit topology, semiconductor layout, embedded firmware and the passive components surrounding the chip.

Cirrus Logic already develops audio converters, signal processing devices and power management technology for applications where energy consumption, component size and electrical performance are closely constrained. INVENTVM’s expertise provides additional design capacity in overlapping technical disciplines, although the companies have not identified specific product families that will be combined or replaced. The transaction also brings engineering resources that can support custom development work as Cirrus Logic pursues additional applications.

John Forsyth, president and chief executive officer of Cirrus Logic, has linked the acquisition to expanding intellectual property and engineering capacity while increasing the company’s ability to develop products for additional applications. INVENTVM chief executive Michele Chiabrera similarly referred to the established collaboration between the two organisations and the opportunities created by their integration. No unverified direct quotations have been introduced into this account.

Founded in 2021 following a management buyout of an existing research and development centre, INVENTVM has developed semiconductor products and turnkey integrated circuit design services. Its engineering background includes analogue and digital design, semiconductor layout, device verification and system integration. Those capabilities are transferable across product categories, although individual customer requirements still determine the qualification and development work required for each application.

Cirrus Logic has not disclosed the purchase price and expects no material near-term revenue impact from the transaction. Its immediate addition is engineering capacity and intellectual property, although no integration timetable or product portfolio changes have been disclosed.

The acquisition places the Pavia design team within a larger semiconductor development organisation while retaining the technical focus on power and audio circuitry that established INVENTVM’s position. Further product announcements will establish how Cirrus Logic applies the additional engineering resources and intellectual property across its audio, power management and mixed-signal portfolio.