Full Description

National Semiconductor Corporation, incorporated in 1959, is a semiconductor company focused on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits and sub-systems, particularly in the area of power management. The Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets analog-intensive solutions that improve performance and energy efficiency in electronic systems. It has a diversified product portfolio, which includes power management circuits, audio and operational amplifiers, communication interface products and data conversion solutions. During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2009 (fiscal 2009), approximately 91% of the Company’s revenue was generated from Analog segment products. During fiscal 2009, the Company reorganized its product line operations by consolidating the former two-group structure (Power Management and the Signal Path Groups) into one group called the Product Group. In March 2009, National Semiconductor Corporation acquired ActSolar, Inc., a privately held solar energy company that provides power optimization solutions for commercial and utility-scale solar installations.

The Company’s portfolio of over 13,000 products is sold to a diversified group of end-customers from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to smaller customers serviced by its distribution network. The Company’s Powerwise products enable systems that consume less power, extend battery life and generate less heat. The Company targets a range of markets and applications, such as wireless handsets (including smart phones) and other portable applications; automotive applications, wireless base stations, network infrastructure, industrial and sensing applications, factory and office automation, medical applications and photovoltaic systems. During fiscal 2009, the Company announced its entry into the photovoltaic market with a technology designed to increase the overall energy output of solar electric power-generating systems. Its initial product in this area, the SolarMagic power optimizer, uses its power management and analog technology to provide a system level solution.

The Company’s analog and mixed-signal devices include operational and audio amplifiers; power references, regulators and switches; analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converters; communication interface circuits; lighting and display circuits; adaptive voltage scaling circuits and radio frequency integrated circuits. Other product offerings that are not analog or mixed-signal include microcontrollers and embedded Bluetooth solutions that collectively serve a variety of applications in the wireless, personal computer, industrial, automotive, consumer and communication markets.

Product Group

The Product Group is responsible for designing and developing a range of analog integrated circuits, many of which convert and regulate voltages. It also designs and develops integrated circuits that handle the requisite analog technology for information or data as it travels from the point where it enters the electronic system, is conditioned, converted and processed to the point where it is sent out. The Product Group has four different business units that address the power management area: advanced power, infrastructure power products, mobile devices power and performance power products. There are also two business units that address the signal path area: precision signal path and high speed product. There is also a custom solutions business unit within the Product Group.

The Company’s power management portfolio provides solutions to its customers to solve design problems in space and energy-constrained applications from feature-rich portable devices to line-powered systems. The four business units that address power management design, develop and manufacture a range of products, including switching voltage regulators and controllers, high-performance low drop-out voltage regulators, light emitting diode (LED) drivers, precision voltage references, battery management integrated circuits and photovoltaic power optimizer solutions. The Company’s signal path products provide a technology link that allows the user to connect to digital information and are used to enable and improve the user experience of sight and sound from many electronic applications. In addition to providing the real-world interfaces, signal path products are used in signal conditioning, signal conversion (from analog-to-digital and vice versa) and high-speed signal interfacing applications.

The two business units that focus on signal path, design, develop and manufacture a range of products, including high-speed and precision operational amplifiers; high-fidelity, low-power audio amplifiers; high-speed and power efficient analog-to-digital converters and digital-to-analog converters; precision timing products; high-speed communication interface and signal-conditioning products, and thermal management products. The high speed product business unit also includes Hi-Rel products that supply integrated circuits to markets, such as avionics, defense and aerospace customers. The custom solutions business unit supplies user-designed, application-specific products in the form of standard cells, gate arrays and full custom devices. This business unit also supplies key telecommunications components for analog and digital line cards, as well as eight-bit and 16-bit microcontrollers.

Worldwide Marketing and Sales Group, Key Market Segments Group, Technology Development Group and Manufacturing Operations Group

Separate from its business operating groups, the Company’s corporate structure in fiscal 2009, included the Worldwide Marketing and Sales Group, Key Market Segments Group, the Technology Development Group and the Manufacturing Operations Group. The Worldwide Marketing and Sales Group is the Company’s global sales and marketing organization organized around the four major regions of the world where the Company operates. National Semiconductor Corporation defines its four major regions as the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Japan, which is not a part of the Asia Pacific region. The Key Market Segments organization includes industry personnel, technologists and business development staff who work with the Company’s product lines to accelerate the penetration of its analog solutions in specific markets. The Technology Development Group is a centralized worldwide organization primarily responsible for process development, technology infrastructure and shared engineering services. The Manufacturing Operations Group is a centralized worldwide organization that manages all production, including outsourced manufacturing, global logistics and packaging technology, and is responsible for quality assurance, purchasing and supply chain management.

The Company competes with Analog Devices, Linear Technology, Maxim Integrated Products and Texas Instruments.