Renesas Electronics expands its connectivity product lineup with acquisition of Panthronics to acquire NFC technology

     Renesas Electronics, a global provider of semiconductor solutions, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the shareholders of Panthronics AG (" Panthronics "), a fabless semiconductor company focused on high performance wireless products, pursuant to which Renesas Electronics will acquire Panthronics through a wholly owned subsidiary in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition will enrich Renesas Electronics' connectivity technology product lineup, expanding its reach into fintech, Internet of Things, asset tracking, wireless charging and high-demand near field communication (NFC) applications in automotive applications.

     NFCS have become the de facto standard in the digital economy, touching every aspect of daily life. Fintech such as mobile payment (mPoS) terminals and contactless payments, the Internet of Things, asset tracking and wireless charging are the focus of the growing popularity of NFCS. Based in Graz, Austria, Panthronics has been providing advanced NFC chipsets and software for payments, Internet of Things and NFC wireless charging that are easy to apply, innovative, small and efficient. Renesas Electronics and Panthronics have been working together as partners to address the growing demand for NFCS since 2018. The Panthronics acquisition will give Renesas its own competitive NFC technology and enable it to take immediate advantage of the growing emerging market opportunities in NFC.

     Combining Panthronics' NFC technology with Renesas Electronics' extensive product lineup and security features in microcontrollers (MCUS) and microprocessors (MPUs) will provide Renesas Electronics' extensive user base with multiple options to create innovative, immediately available NFC system solutions. To date, Renesas and Panthronics have launched four NFC system solutions designed together. These include solutions for mPoS terminals, wireless charging and wall-mounted chargers for electric vehicles.

     The companies have also developed an NFC connection board that is fully integrated into the Renesas Fast Connect Studio ecosystem, enabling users to quickly and easily add functionality to the MCU development board with the ability to add full-featured, high-end NFC connectivity "plug and play." In addition, multiple systems are being developed for PoS, iot, wireless charging and mobility. In addition, the benefits of Panthronics technology are expected to be used in Renesas's automotive solutions, such as digital key management.

     "Renesas Electronics has always placed a strong emphasis on connectivity technology, which expands and differentiates the range of solutions we can offer," said Hideki Shibata, President and CEO of Renesas Electronics. We see Panthronics' NFC connectivity technology meeting the needs of our customers in growing sectors including fintech, the Internet of Things and automotive."