We are a fabless semiconductor provider of high-performance application-specific standard products. Our core strength of expertise is the development of complex System-on-a-Chip, or SoC, devices leveraging our extensive technology portfolio of intellectual property in the areas of analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing and embedded ARM-based microprocessor integrated circuits. Our broad product portfolio includes devices for data storage, enterprise-class Ethernet data switching, Ethernet physical-layer transceivers, or PHY, handheld cellular, Ethernet-based wireless networking, personal area networking, Ethernet-based PC connectivity, control plane communications controllers, video-image processing and power management solutions. Our products serve diverse applications used in carrier, metropolitan, enterprise and PC-client data communications and storage systems. Additionally, we serve the consumer electronics market for the convergence of voice, video and data applications.
Our core technologies were initially focused on the storage market, where we provide high-performance products to storage companies such as Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Samsung Semiconductor, Seagate Technology, Toshiba Corporation and Western Digital Corporation. We subsequently applied our technology to the broadband communications market, where we provide industry-leading PHY wired and wireless Ethernet-switching solutions that enable the data transmission between communications systems to manufacturers of high-speed networking and wireless equipment including Asustek Computer Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Dell Inc., Huawei, Juniper Networks, Inc., Brocade Communication Systems, Inc., Intel and NETGEAR, Inc. Our wireless technology has a variety of uses in emerging consumer electronic devices, including enabling applications such as wireless connectivity, ad-hoc gaming, streaming audio, video and Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, for products offered by companies such as Microsoft Corporation, Motorola, Inc., PalmOne and Sony Corporation.
In fiscal 2007, we acquired the communications and applications processor business from Intel, or the ICAP Business, providing us with cellular and handheld solutions with customers such as Research in Motion Limited, Motorola and PalmOne. Also, during fiscal 2007, we acquired the printer semiconductor division from Avago Technologies Limited, which provides SoC and system level solutions for both inkjet and laser jet printer systems. We also have applied our technology by introducing integrated circuits and modules that provide power management broadly to electronic devices.
We were incorporated in Bermuda in January 1995. Our registered address is Canon’s Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 12, Bermuda, and our telephone number there is (441) 296-6395. The mailing address of our business offices in Bermuda is Argyle House, 41A Cedar Avenue, Hamilton, HM 12, Bermuda. The address of our United States operating subsidiary is Marvell Semiconductor, Inc., 5488 Marvell Lane, Santa Clara, California 95054, and our telephone number there is (408) 222-2500. We also have operations in many countries including Israel, Singapore, Germany, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest January 31.
Our Markets and Products
We target computers, communications-related equipment and consumer devices that require the benefits of highly integrated mixed-signal devices for high-speed data storage, transmission, and management. We also target a broad range of electronic products that can utilize our power management solutions. Additionally, we are developing new products that are targeted for new markets that we currently do not serve. Our current product offerings are primarily targeted at three broad end markets: enterprise and infrastructure communications networks, the converged digital home and converged mobility.
We offer our customers in these markets a wide range of integrated circuit solutions using proprietary communications mixed-signal processing, or CMSP, and digital signal processing technologies. We are applying our expertise in analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, embedded microprocessor, complex SoC capabilities and our extensive intellectual property portfolio in a variety of end-market applications. A description of a number of our products is set forth below.
Storage Products
We offer a broad range of storage products targeted for hard disk drives, tape drive electronics, optical disk drives, solid-state flash drives and storage subsystems technology. We offer both discrete components targeted at specific storage-class requirements, as well as complex SoC solutions, which integrate multiple functional blocks onto a single device.
Switching Products
We have a broad portfolio of switching solutions for the enterprise networking, carrier access and small office/home office/residential networking markets. Our switching products enable voice, video, and data traffic to be seamlessly carried through the network with full fidelity. Additionally, we are supporting the increased usage of packet-based Internet Protocol communications of real-time traffic such as telephony and video-on-demand.
Communications Controller and Embedded Processor Products
We have a broad offering of high performance and highly integrated system control-plane communication controllers and fully integrated embedded processors. These devices offer both integrated embedded CPU technology as well as variants that can support discrete embedded RISC microprocessors. Our devices are used in a broad range of applications including routers, switches, digital subscriber line access multiplexers, access concentrators, wireless base stations, VoIP gateways and storage area networks.
Enterprise Transceiver and PC Connectivity Products
We offer a portfolio of low power, high-performance PHY, LAN on Motherboard, or LOM, and network interface card solutions for demanding network connectivity applications. We provide these products to the enterprise networking, storage networking and PC markets.
Cellular and Handheld Products
Communications Processors: Our communications processors are highly integrated cellular SoC devices that enable mobile handset development to address dual-mode GSM/GPRS, WCDMA and HSDPA mobile network standards. Our communications processors incorporate a high-performance dual-band baseband modem processor and our industry leading application processor in a highly integrated, low-power SoC platform for voice and computation-intensive mobile data applications. Our communications and applications processor families are based on our ARM-compliant XScale micro-architecture, thus allowing for software compatibility across our entire cellular product portfolio enabling handset designers a faster time-to-market advantage.
Wireless Products
Libertas® Wireless LAN Family: The Libertas® family of wireless LAN, or WLAN, devices are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, 802.11 solutions for the small office/home office, small-and-medium size businesses, corporate enterprise and residential consumer electronics markets. The Libertas® product line combines the flexibility of embedded IEEE 802.11 standards with dedicated hardware acceleration engines to support Advance Encryption Standard wireless security and QoS. These products integrate high performance embedded ARM-microprocessor technology as well as advanced networking capabilities including Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol and Internet Protocol network processing to enable the device to perform ad-hoc wireless connections to other wireless devices.
Personal Area Networking Products
Bluetooth Wireless Networking Family: We offer a portfolio of highly integrated wireless personal area network products, which combine our IEEE 802.11 a/b/g WLAN intellectual property with a Bluetooth 2.1 enhanced data rate core in a ultra-low-power, small footprint single die. The product provides extended battery life in cellular handsets, converged devices, game consoles, MP3 music players and other emerging consumer devices, which require both short- and long-range wireless connectivity. These devices support the latest Bluetooth SIG specification enabling Bluetooth enhanced data rates of up to 3Mbps and extends the transmission range up to 100 meters. We offer a highly integrated, low-power wireless personal area network device, which combines our IEEE 802.11 a/b/g WLAN core with a Bluetooth 2.1 enhanced data rate core, in addition to a world-wide FM radio receiver-transceiver. This product supports simultaneous use of Bluetooth applications as well as FM radio reception and transmission, ideally suited for the low power requirements of mobile handset devices.
Printing ASIC Products
Printing ASICs: We offer custom and semi-custom SoC products aimed at the printer market. These devices are the core integrated circuits for image processing and the control of laser printers, inkjet printers and “all-in-one” products incorporating printing, scanning, networking, wireless and fax capabilities. We also provide printer control systems based on Marvell Printing ASICs aimed at offering highly integrated solutions and shorter time-to-market.
Digital Video Processing Products
Digital Video Format Converter: Our digital video format converter with award-winning Qdeo™ video processing converts PC graphics, standard-definition and HD video into 1080p HD outputs, removing signal noise and image artifacts. In mass production since 2007, the Marvell 88DE2710 digital video format is now shipping in blue-laser players and recorders and A/V receivers and is also targeted at digital television, HD-set-top boxes and media clients.
Power Management and Green Technology Products
DSP Switcher® Integrated Regulators: Our DSP Switcher® integrated regulators form the core of what we believe is the industry’s smallest and highest-performance step-down power supply. DSP Switcher® integrated regulators are designed to provide efficiency, precision and transient response together with small solution size to provide system designers with enhanced form factor and battery life in portable equipment. The integration of power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors, internal frequency compensation and single resistor output programming reduces design efforts and increases system reliability.
Employees
As of January 31, 2009, we had a total of 5,552 employees. Our employees are not represented by any collective bargaining agreements, and we have not experienced any work stoppage. We consider our relations with our employees to be good. On March 5, 2009, in response to the deteriorating global economic environment we announced plans to lower our overall costs and expenses. As a result of this plan and combined with certain cost reduction measures taken in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, we plan to reduce our global workforce by approximately 15%, or approximately 850 employees.