Bosch to acquire ItoM

Bosch has signed an agreement to acquire the Eindhoven-based semiconductor company Ideas to the Market (ItoM). With the takeover, the German technology group is strenghtening its high-frequency system-on-chip (SoC) design expertise and adding thirty people to its workforce. It plans to further expand ItoM’s development sites in Eindhoven and Enschede. The financial details of the transaction haven’t been disclosed.

SoCs are increasingly being used in automotive control units, eg for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). “The ItoM team will join our IC development competency, reinforcing our expertise in high-frequency chips,” comments Jens Fabrowsky, executive vice president for automotive electronics at Bosch and responsible for the company’s semiconductors branch. According to Edwin Veldman, managing partner at ItoM, “Bosch offers the perfect platform for further growth. The acquisition opens up a completely new perspective for us.”

ItoM was founded in 1998 by former Philips engineers, including current CEO Harm van Rumpt. The company has since specialized in IC and system developments for RF transceivers and broadcast tuners, made available to customers in fully integrated designs or core IP blocks.