Broadcom Corporation was an American fabless semiconductor company that made products for the wireless and broadband communication industry. It was acquired by Avago Technologies for $37 billion in 2016 and currently operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the merged entity Broadcom Inc.
Founded in 1991 by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry Nicholas from the University of California, Los Angeles, the company moved from its Westwood, Los Angeles, office to Irvine, California, in 1995. Broadcom became a public company three years later with a listing on the Nasdaq. The company was known for its aggressive acquisition strategy, which led to significant growth and market share.
Broadcom facility in Cambridge UK, as seen in 2011
Broadcom Corporation was founded by professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry Nicholas from UCLA in 1991. In 1995 the company moved from its Westwood, Los Angeles office to Irvine, California.[1] In 1998, Broadcom became a public company on the NASDAQ exchange (ticker symbol: BRCM) and employs about 11,750 people worldwide in more than 15 countries.[when?]
Broadcom Corporation acquired ServerWorks Corporation, a maker of chipsets for IA-32-based servers, in 2001 for $957 million. This acquisition was one in a string of purchases of companies by Broadcom in the beginning of the 2000s. Unlike the others, which were struggling start-ups, ServerWorks was revenue-generating and profitable.
In 2012, Broadcom's total revenue was $8.01 billion. As of 2011, Broadcom was among Gartner's Top 10 Semiconductor Vendors by revenue.[5] Broadcom first landed on the Fortune 500 in 2009,[6] and climbed to spot #327 in 2013.