(Photonics - Case stories)

The acquisition of GIGA by Intel has become a symbol of the outstanding expertise of the Øresund Region in the photonics sector. GIGA, a Danish company founded in 1988, is specialized in the design of advanced high-speed communications chips used in the optical networking and communications products that direct traffic across the Internet and corporate networks.

By 2000, GIGA was a leading supplier of 2.5 gigabits-per-second and 10 gigabits-per-second products to telecommunications and data communications customers, with applications based on IP, ATM, DWDM and SONET/SDH transmission standards. As an example, a 10 gigabits-per-second (10 billion signals per second) chip set enables 120,000 telephone calls to be transmitted simultaneously over one optical fibre no thicker than a human hair!

GIGA’s achievements attracted the attention of Intel, which acquired the small Danish company in an all-cash transaction of US$ 1.25 billion in March 2000. Intel's acquisition of GIGA targeted the market segment for high-performance networking chips enabling the rapid build-out of the fibre-optic infrastructure necessary to support the explosive growth of the Internet.

All through the acquisition, Mark Christensen, vice president and general manager, Intel Network Communications Group, said: "This new optical communications chip’s design capability, combined with our existing design team, gives Intel new key products and expertise to address the rapidly growing demand for high-bandwidth communications infrastructure." GIGA ApS is now part of the Optical Components Division in Intel’s Communications Group.

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