Microsemi

What Microsemi does

Microsemi Corporation, founded in 1959 and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, is a semiconductor company specializing in high-reliability, radiation-tolerant FPGAs and analog mixed-signal components for aerospace, defense, and space applications. The company's core product portfolio includes the PolarFire and PolarFire SoC FPGA families (the latter being the industry's first RISC-V-based SoC FPGA), radiation-tolerant FPGA lines (RT PolarFire, RTG4, RTAX, RT ProASIC 3, RTSX-SU), IGLOO 2 and ProASIC 3 low-power FPGAs, SmartFusion 2 SoC FPGAs, antifuse FPGAs, CPLDs, and FPGA configuration memory for Xilinx and Intel (Altera) SRAM FPGAs. Supporting the hardware, Microsemi offers a layered developer ecosystem including the Libero SoC Design Suite, VectorBlox Accelerator SDK (enabling C/C++ neural network development for edge AI inferencing), SmartHLS C++ synthesis tool, and Mi-V RISC-V ecosystem, with certifications including AEC-Q100 for automotive applications. Historically a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: MSCC), Microsemi was acquired by Microchip Technology Inc. in 2018 for approximately $8.35 billion and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary brand under Microchip, with its products distributed through Microchip's global field sales, authorized distributor network, and the microchipDIRECT e-commerce platform targeting aerospace and defense system integrators. The business model is hardware sales of premium-priced, qualification-gated semiconductor components to aerospace, defense, space, and increasingly automotive and industrial customers, with revenue mechanics driven by long program lifecycles, multi-year qualification cycles, and project-based defense and space procurement rather than high-volume commercial distribution.

Name

Microsemi

Legal name

Microsemi Corporation

Website

https://microsemi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Microsemi, a Microchip Technology subsidiary, designs radiation-tolerant FPGAs and high-reliability semiconductor solutions serving aerospace, defense, and space system integrators, with growing reach into automotive and edge AI applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Solutions (FPGAs and Mixed-Signal ICs)

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmable Logic (FPGAs/CPLDs) (HDAHAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

RF, Microwave & Wireless ICs (HDAHAAAF), Compute & Acceleration ICs (CPU/GPU/AI/FPGA/ASIC) (HDAHABAC)

Keywords

• FPGA semiconductors
• Radiation-tolerant electronics
• Aerospace defense semiconductors
• Mixed-signal integrated circuits
• Embedded system-on-chip

Headquarters

HQ city

Aliso Viejo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. High-Reliability Semiconductor Components: Microsemi generates revenue through the sale of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant semiconductor components, including FPGAs, power management ICs, and RF/microwave solutions for aerospace, defense, and space applications. These specialized components command premium pricing due to stringent quality and reliability requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Microsemi designs and manufactures semiconductor and FPGA solutions, including radiation-tolerant FPGAs, RISC-V based system-on-chip FPGAs, mixed-signal integrated circuits, and high-reliability discrete components. Its products are engineered for mission-critical applications in aerospace, defense, space, and industrial markets where reliability under extreme conditions is required.

Product overview

Microsemi's product portfolio, now part of Microchip Technology, offers a comprehensive range of FPGA and programmable logic solutions including the PolarFire mid-range FPGA family (delivering up to 50% lower power than competitors), PolarFire SoC FPGAs (the industry's first RISC-V based SoC FPGA), and radiation-tolerant FPGAs for space and aerospace applications including RTG4, RTAX, RT PolarFire, RT ProASIC 3, and RTSX-SU families. The offering also includes low-power IGLOO 2 and ProASIC 3 FPGAs, SmartFusion 2 SoC FPGAs, antifuse FPGAs (Axcelerator, eX, MX, SX-A), CPLD products (ATF15xx family), and FPGA configuration memory for Xilinx and Intel devices. The portfolio is supported by development tools including VectorBlox Accelerator SDK (for AI/ML neural network applications), SmartHLS C++ synthesis tool, Mi-V RISC-V ecosystem, and Libero SoC Design Suite, targeting applications in aerospace and defense, industrial imaging, robotics, AI-enabled medical systems, automotive, and communications infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PolarFire FPGAs

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero configuration upsets in radiation-tolerant FPGA products
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Honeywell AerospaceminorOthers · 1 January 2025Honeywell Aerospace and Microsemi Corporation are both identified as key companies in the radiation hardened electronics market, independently developing high-performance, radiation-resistant semiconductor solutions for aerospace and defense applications. This represents competitive positioning rather than formal partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Microchip Technology: Microchip Technology is Microsemi's parent company and a broad semiconductor incumbent offering MCUs, analog, mixed-signal, FPGA, and timing products. While it owns Microsemi, the broader portfolio overlaps in programmable logic, microcontrollers, and analog signal chain products that compete for the same defense and industrial customers.
• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell Aerospace develops high-performance, radiation-resistant semiconductor solutions for space and defense, and is explicitly identified as a key Microsemi competitor in the radiation-hardened electronics market.
• BAE Systems (Electronic Systems): BAE Systems is one of the largest defense electronics primes, developing radiation-hardened and space-grade semiconductor solutions alongside Microsemi in the rad-hard electronics market. It competes for similar aerospace and defense customers and shares the same radiation-hardened value proposition.

Direct peers

• Lattice Semiconductor: Lattice Semiconductor focuses on low-power, small-form-factor FPGAs (ECP, Certus, Nexus) targeting industrial, automotive, and edge applications. It competes with Microsemi's IGLOO 2 and lower-density PolarFire parts in commercial and industrial segments where radiation tolerance is not required.
• Xilinx (now AMD): Xilinx (acquired by AMD) is the global FPGA market leader, offering high-density FPGAs and SoC FPGAs (Zynq, Versal, UltraScale) including radiation-tolerant space-grade variants. It directly competes with Microsemi's PolarFire and RTAX families in defense and space applications.
• Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems designs mission-critical processing subsystems for defense and aerospace, including ruggedized boards using radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant FPGAs from Microsemi and competitors. It is both a customer of Microsemi's FPGAs and a competitor for the integrated defense electronics value chain.
• Intel (Altera): Intel's Altera division produces high-density FPGAs (Stratix, Cyclone, Agilex) and offers radiation-tolerant space-grade variants. It competes head-to-head with Microsemi in defense/aerospace and is also a customer of Microsemi's FPGA configuration memory products.

Emerging players

• Achronix Semiconductor: Achronix designs high-performance, high-bandwidth FPGAs (Speedster, VectorPath) and embedded FPGA IP targeting data center acceleration, networking, and defense applications. It competes with Microsemi's higher-end PolarFire and SoC FPGAs for high-throughput signal processing sockets.
• Efinix: Efinix is a fabless FPGA vendor offering Quantum and Trion FPGAs with a focus on power efficiency and edge AI acceleration. It competes with Microsemi's PolarFire family in power-constrained commercial and industrial applications such as edge vision and AI inferencing.
• QuickLogic: QuickLogic provides ultra-low-power FPGAs and embedded FPGA IP targeting IoT, wearables, and sensor processing. It overlaps with Microsemi's IGLOO 2 in the low-power FPGA niche and is a potential alternative for commercial customers that do not need radiation tolerance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/microsemisoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microsemi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A29 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Microsemi