MaxLinear
MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company that designs RF, analog, and mixed-signal ICs for AI data center interconnects, broadband access, 5G wireless infrastructure, and industrial connectivity, selling to ODMs, OEMs, and network equipment makers globally.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersCarlsbad, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What MaxLinear does
MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company designs radio frequency (RF), analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for communications and infrastructure applications, operating across four segments: Access (broadband including Puma 8 DOCSIS 4.0 cable SoCs and AnyWAN gateway processors), Connectivity (Wi-Fi 6/7, MoCA, G.hn, Ethernet), Infrastructure (AI data center interconnects — Keystone PAM4 DSPs, Rushmore 1.6T PHY, Washington TIAs, Annapurna 224G retimers, Panther storage accelerators — plus Sierra O-RAN radio SoCs and Trinity wireless backhaul), and Industrial/Power Management (interface ICs, RS-485 transceivers, power management ICs). The company sells directly to ODMs, OEMs, and network equipment manufacturers globally and through channel partners including Samji Electronics, Pegatron, Zenlynx, Askey, Gemtek, and Hitron, with multi-year enterprise contracts at undisclosed pricing.
MaxLinear has repositioned itself from a traditional broadband connectivity chipmaker into an AI data center infrastructure provider. FY2025 revenue was $467.6M (+30% YoY) and Q1 2026 revenue reached $137.2M (+43% YoY), with the Infrastructure segment growing 136% YoY to $63M and becoming the largest end-market. Management has guided 2026 optical data center revenue to $150-170M and Q2 2026 revenue to $160-170M (midpoint $165M, +52% YoY). After reporting a FY2025 net loss of $136.7M (improved from $245.2M in FY2024), the company returned to non-GAAP profitability in Q1 2026 with EPS of $0.22. Notable customer engagements span hyperscale AI infrastructure (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta via Keystone/Rushmore/Washington/Annapurna/Panther), cable operators and ODMs (Gemtek, Hitron, Askey on Puma 8), O-RAN deployments (Samji, Pegatron, Zenlynx on Sierra), industrial customers (Tokyo Electron Device on RS-485), HPC storage research (Los Alamos National Laboratory on Panther), and enterprise networking (Edgecore Networks on AnyWAN). The company has approximately 1,001-5,000 employees, is listed on NYSE under ticker MXL, and is led by CEO Kishore Seendripu.
MaxLinear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MaxLinear
- Legal name
- MaxLinear, Inc.
- Website
- https://maxlinear.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company that designs RF, analog, and mixed-signal ICs for AI data center interconnects, broadband access, 5G wireless infrastructure, and industrial connectivity, selling to ODMs, OEMs, and network equipment makers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MaxLinear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Communications Semiconductors
- NAICS
- All Other Telecommunications (5178)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile & Wireless Connectivity SoCs (Modem/Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth/GNSS) (HDAHABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Network Hardware Components (ASICs/NICs/Transceivers) (HDABAFAN), RF Transceivers & RFIC SoCs (Cellular/Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth) (HDAHAMAE), DSL Modems & Gateways (xDSL/G.fast) (HDAFAIAD)
Keywords
Where MaxLinear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carlsbad
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
MaxLinear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Infrastructure (Data Center Connectivity): High-margin AI optical and electrical interconnect products for data centers including Keystone PAM4 DSPs, Rushmore 1.6T PHY, Washington TIAs, Annapurna copper retimers, and Panther storage accelerators. This segment is MaxLinear's fastest growing, with 136% YoY growth in Q1 2026, and is expected to generate $150-170M in 2026 optical data center revenue.
- Broadband Access (Cable, Copper, Fiber): Cable broadband SoCs (Puma 8 for DOCSIS 4.0), AnyWAN gateway processors, fiber access ONUs, G.fast/xDSL transceivers, and Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 solutions serving cable operators, telecom operators, and service providers deploying FTTP.
- Wireless Infrastructure (5G Radio, Backhaul): Sierra O-RAN radio SoCs, Trinity wireless backhaul platforms, microwave/millimeter wave modems, and RF transceivers for 4G/5G wireless infrastructure deployments by telecom operators and network equipment makers.
- Industrial Connectivity and Power Management: Interface ICs (USB UART, RS-485/RS-422, CAN, Ethernet PHYs), power management ICs, and LED lighting drivers for industrial, multi-market, automotive infotainment, and IoT gateway applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | No public pricing - B2B semiconductor sales through direct sales and channel partners |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
MaxLinear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and sells radio frequency (RF), analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) for broadband communications, AI data center connectivity, 5G wireless infrastructure, and industrial applications. Its portfolio spans PAM4 DSPs and TIAs for optical interconnects, 224G copper retimers, storage accelerators, DOCSIS 4.0 cable broadband SoCs, Wi-Fi 6/7 and MoCA/G.hn connectivity, O-RAN radio SoCs, wireless backhaul platforms, power management ICs, and interface products. Products are sold as silicon chips to ODMs, OEMs, and network equipment manufacturers globally.
Product overview
MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company that designs radio frequency and mixed-signal integrated circuits for communications and infrastructure applications. The company operates across four main segments: Access (broadband connectivity solutions including AnyWAN Gateway Processors, Puma 8 DOCSIS 4.0 cable SoCs, fiber/copper access, and FTTP solutions), Connectivity (Wi-Fi 6/7 and wired solutions including MoCA, G.hn, and Ethernet), Infrastructure (AI data center interconnects including Keystone PAM4 DSPs for 400G/800G/1.6T optical connectivity, Panther storage accelerators for AI inference, Annapurna copper retimers, Washington 200G TIAs, and 5G wireless solutions including Trinity backhaul platform and Sierra Radio SoC), and Industrial/Power Management (power management ICs, interface products, and transceivers for industrial applications). Recent launches have expanded into AI infrastructure with optical interconnects (Keystone, Rushmore, Washington), AI inference storage (Panther V), copper connectivity for AI (Annapurna), and 5G wireless backhaul (Trinity).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AnyWAN: Gateway processors for broadband access
- Puma
- Keystone
- Rushmore
- Washington
- Annapurna
- Panther
- Sierra
- Trinity
- MaxLIN
Products and services
- Keystone PAM4 DSP
- Rushmore 1.6T PHY Chipset
- Washington 200G TIA
- Annapurna 224G Scale-Up Retimer
- Panther V Storage Accelerator
- Trinity 5G Wireless Backhaul Platform
- Sierra Radio SoC
- Puma 8 DOCSIS 4.0 Cable SoC
- AnyWAN Gateway Processors
- Intelligent Power Management Solution
- Coronado USB UART (MxL81424)
- Laguna USB UART (MxL81108)
- MxL8323x RS-485/RS-422 Transceiver Family
Quantifiable outcome
- 39x write speedup and 7x read speedup vs standard ZFS in OpenZFS HPC storage (with LANL)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use MaxLinear
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
MaxLinear technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
MaxLinear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)minorCollaboration to develop hardware-accelerated OpenZFS File System storage for high-performance computing (HPC) environments using MaxLinear's Panther Storage Accelerator SoCs. The joint solution achieves approximately 39x write speedup and 7x read speedup compared to standard ZFS, reaching 57 GB/s read and 47 GB/s write throughput with GZIP L9 compression on high-entropy scientific data. The technology integrates LANL's Direct I/O support and ZIA framework with MaxLinear's hardware offload capabilities.
- KPMG LLPminorKPMG LLP appointed as MaxLinear's new independent registered public accounting firm, effective May 28, 2026, replacing Grant Thornton LLP. KPMG has been engaged for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026.
- GCT Semiconductor HoldingcoreStrategic partnership to develop integrated 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) gateways and converged gateways for consumer and enterprise applications. The partnership combines MaxLinear's Wi-Fi and network processing technologies with GCT's 5G/LTE cellular modem capabilities into pre-integrated AnyWAN gateway platforms. The combined solutions will be showcased at Computex Taipei, targeting the fast-growing FWA market where service providers seek cost-effective, high-performance broadband solutions.
- Edgecore NetworkscoreStrategic partnership to develop AI-driven networking solutions for enterprise and service provider markets, combining Edgecore's open infrastructure platforms with MaxLinear's multi-interface WAN connectivity platforms. The collaboration targets scalable edge infrastructure for next-generation AI workloads, with the enterprise campus and edge networking market projected to grow 7-11% annually. MaxLinear will showcase its multi-WAN security gateway at Computex Taipei 2026.
- AskeyminorAskey is developing DOCSIS 4.0 cable modem products using MaxLinear Puma 8 chip and is expected to achieve VFI certification, expanding the Puma 8 ecosystem for high-volume DOCSIS 4.0 deployments.
- GemtekminorGemtek achieved the first CableLabs DOCSIS 3.1 VFI certification for a DOCSIS 4.0 modem with integrated VoIP capabilities, powered by MaxLinear's Puma 8 chip. Gemtek operates factories in Vietnam, Taiwan, and India.
- HitronminorHitron achieved DOCSIS 3.1 VFI certification with Puma 8-based reference designs and products, expanding the ecosystem for high-volume DOCSIS 4.0 deployments alongside MaxLinear.
- CableLabscoreCableLabs awarded MaxLinear's Puma 8 chip 'Verified for Interoperability' (VFI) designation, marking the first silicon to achieve DOCSIS 3.1 VFI status as part of the early DOCSIS 4.0 certification process at CableLabs. This milestone enables operators to move from lab validation to commercial D4.0 readiness.
- Dell TechnologiescoreMaxLinear showcased its Panther V storage accelerator platform at Dell Technologies World 2026 in Las Vegas, designed to reduce data-movement bottlenecks in AI inference data centers. Panther V addresses latency, cost, and efficiency challenges as AI workloads shift from experimental pilots to production-scale, revenue-generating inference operations.
- Samji ElectronicscoreSamji Electronics selected MaxLinear's Sierra single-chip radio system-on-chip to power its next-generation Macro Open RAN Radio Unit (SNOO2-44N28) designed for modern macro cellular networks. The Sierra platform enables high output power, exceptional energy efficiency, and a compact form factor while reducing power consumption and thermal management requirements. MaxLinear will host a live demonstration of the Samji macro radio at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona.
- PegatroncorePegatron is incorporating MaxLinear Sierra radio SoC into its O-RAN Radio Unit products, including the PR2850 5G NR macro radio and PS2400 portable network-in-a-box unit. Products were demonstrated at MWC Barcelona 2026 as part of Pegatron's AI-RAN vision embedding intelligence directly into O-RAN architecture.
- ZenlynxminorZenlynx is incorporating MaxLinear Sierra radio SoC into its Open RAN Radio Unit products, demonstrating accelerating momentum for the Sierra platform in the O-RAN ecosystem.
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MaxLinear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Broadcom: Broadcom (post-Inphi acquisition) is a leading supplier of PAM4 optical DSPs and TIAs for data center interconnects, directly competing with MaxLinear's Keystone and Washington product lines at hyperscale customers.
- Marvell Technology: Marvell is a primary competitor in optical DSPs, TIAs, and data center connectivity silicon, with its Inphi-based portfolio directly competing against MaxLinear's PAM4 DSP, TIA, and DSP retimer products in 400G/800G/1.6T optical interconnects.
- Credo Technology: Credo is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in high-speed connectivity ICs for hyperscale data centers, directly competing with MaxLinear's Keystone DSP, Washington TIA, and Annapurna retimer portfolio in AI infrastructure deployments.
- Astera Labs: Astera Labs designs connectivity ICs for AI/cloud data centers, including retimers that directly compete with MaxLinear's Annapurna 224G retimer. Both target hyperscale scale-up and scale-out networking for GPU/TPU clusters.
- MACOM Technology Solutions: MACOM competes with MaxLinear in RF, microwave, and optical components for data center and telecom infrastructure, including high-speed optical networking products serving similar hyperscale and 5G wireless customers.
Broad incumbents
- Texas Instruments: Texas Instruments is a broad analog and mixed-signal semiconductor incumbent whose industrial, automotive, and power management portfolio overlaps with MaxLinear's Industrial/Multi-Market segment, though TI does not focus on optical DSPs or cable broadband SoCs.
- Analog Devices: Analog Devices is a major mixed-signal and RF semiconductor incumbent, with its RF, microwave, and industrial connectivity portfolio overlapping with MaxLinear's Sierra, Trinity, and industrial transceiver product lines.
- Renesas Electronics: Renesas (post-Intersil/Dialog) is a broad analog, mixed-signal, and power management semiconductor incumbent with significant overlap to MaxLinear's interface ICs, power management, and industrial connectivity product lines.
Emerging players
- Lumentum: Lumentum is a leading provider of optical components (lasers, transceivers) for AI data centers, serving the same hyperscale customers as MaxLinear's optical DSP and TIA products, though Lumentum focuses on photonic components rather than DSPs.
- Silicon Laboratories: Silicon Labs designs mixed-signal ICs for IoT, smart home, and industrial connectivity, with overlapping target applications in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and industrial interfaces similar to MaxLinear's connectivity and industrial product portfolios.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MaxLinear social profiles
Digital presenceMaxLinear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MaxLinear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
MaxLinear subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
MaxLinear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MaxLinear M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MaxLinear
What does MaxLinear do?
MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and sells radio frequency (RF), analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) for broadband communications, AI data center connectivity, 5G wireless infrastructure, and industrial applications. Its portfolio spans PAM4 DSPs and TIAs for optical interconnects, 224G copper retimers, storage accelerators, DOCSIS 4.0 cable broadband SoCs, Wi-Fi 6/7 and MoCA/G.hn connectivity, O-RAN radio SoCs, wireless backhaul platforms, power management ICs, and interface products. Products are sold as silicon chips to ODMs, OEMs, and network equipment manufacturers globally.
Is MaxLinear a public or private company?
MaxLinear is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was MaxLinear founded?
MaxLinear was founded in 2003. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is MaxLinear based?
MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, United States, in the North America region.
How does MaxLinear make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Infrastructure (Data Center Connectivity) is the primary driver. The others are broadband Access (Cable, Copper, Fiber), wireless Infrastructure (5G Radio, Backhaul) and industrial Connectivity and Power Management.
Who are MaxLinear's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Broadcom, Marvell Technology, Credo Technology, Astera Labs and MACOM Technology Solutions. Broad incumbents are Texas Instruments, Analog Devices and Renesas Electronics. Emerging players are Lumentum and Silicon Laboratories.
Does MaxLinear have an API?
No public API is recorded for MaxLinear.
What industry is MaxLinear in?
MaxLinear's product category is Communications Semiconductors. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHABAA, Mobile & Wireless Connectivity SoCs (Modem/Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth/GNSS), with a secondary code of HDABAFAN, Network Hardware Components (ASICs/NICs/Transceivers). Its NAICS code is 5178 and its SIC code is 3576.