.......

Which technologies or market segments are in high demand?

...PwC’s Mehrotra and Fisher succinctly summed it up in two areas: “Analog/mixed-signal” technology and “server/data center market.”

The analog/mixed-signal technology is “key to success in several IoT markets that require ability to both accurately measure and monitor real-world signals, and efficiently manage power consumption, especially for battery operated devices,” they told us.

Further, “This sub-segment that is more fragmented and is ripe for some deals. This segment has also seen relatively lesser M&A activity in the past year,” he added.

Because IoT covers such a broad front, M&A activities are likely to spread far and wide in various technological areas.

Jim Feldhan, president of Semico Research told us, “If a company wants to round out their product line in preparation for IoT, they might need analog technology for connectivity/radios, embedded vision, power management, sensors/MEMS, security and possibly microcontrollers.”

He added, “The MEMS and sensor market landscape continues to evolve. Last year there was a flurry of mergers and acquisitions as companies positioned their technology for Sensor Fusion.”

Jonathan Liao, senior analyst for power semiconductors at IHS Markit, agreed. Noting that “IoT really covers every application that can be linked to the internet from light bulbs to cargo ships,” he explained that companies looking at IoT might need more diversified, and perhaps a more micro-targeting approach in their M&A strategies.

The PwC consultants told us, “Microprocessor players are racing for dominance in this market, making this another M&A battleground.”

Naturally, “Processor makers might be keen on acquiring FPGA technology in order to obtain programmable hardware acceleration to complement their processor offerings,” they added. In particular, “targets that could provide a foothold in the nascent but increasingly competitive ARM server market are also likely to garner attention.”

full article here. http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?cid=NL%5FEET%5FEDT%5FEET%5Fdaily%5F20160901&_mc=NL%5FEET%5FEDT%5FEET%5Fdaily%5F20160901&elq=e95fa44678a442bfa1f01bc4397a4e2f&elqTrackId=2e2891d544994416ab7c42517ea1d5db&elqaid=33666&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=29436&doc_id=1330374&page_number=1