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Key people at PMC-Sierra.
PMC-Sierra develops fabless semiconductor devices for data storage and networking infrastructure. The company designs integrated circuits that enable broadband communications and advanced storage systems. These components facilitate critical functions within optical networking, wireless infrastructure, and enterprise storage, delivering solutions for managing large data volumes across networks.
The company began in 1984 as Sierra Semiconductor, founded by James Diller in San Jose, California. A pivotal moment was the 1992 establishment of the Pacific Microelectronics Centre (PMC) in Burnaby, Canada, focused on networking semiconductors. By 1997, the combined entity became PMC-Sierra, reflecting its sharpened focus on communications technologies.
PMC-Sierra’s products serve equipment manufacturers supplying global communications network providers and various enterprises. Its vision centered on advancing the digital world through semiconductor innovation. By providing foundational components for next-generation communication and storage, PMC-Sierra aims to underpin systems connecting and processing vast digital information.
Key people at PMC-Sierra.
PMC-Sierra was a fabless semiconductor company specializing in high-performance chips for storage, communications, optical networking, printing, and embedded computing markets.[1][2] It developed internetworking components like ATM, Ethernet, SONET, and optical transceivers, serving major customers including HP, EMC, Huawei, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, ZTE, and Juniper.[1] The company solved critical problems in broadband connectivity and high-speed data transmission, enabling telecom networks and enterprise storage with products that were often ahead of competitors, such as the first OC-12 S/UNI transceiver in 1995.[1] PMC-Sierra demonstrated strong growth through acquisitions like Passave in 2006 for $300 million and went public via reverse takeover, but faced challenges like 2007 layoffs before its acquisition by Microsemi in 2016 (valued implicitly through the deal), which was later acquired by Microchip Technology in 2018.[1][2][3]
PMC-Sierra traces its roots to Sierra Semiconductor, founded in 1984 in San Jose, California, by James Diller with early funding from Sequoia Capital on January 11, 1984; it went public in 1991.[1][2] In 1992, Sierra invested in the Pacific Microelectronics Centre (PMC), spun off from Microtel Pacific Research in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, to develop ATM and SONET chips; PMC became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1994.[1] A pivotal innovation came in 1995 from UBC Electrical Engineering ideas, yielding the first OC-12 (622 Mbit/s) S/UNI transceiver, leapfrogging Bell Labs by three years.[1] By 1996, Sierra refocused on networking, exiting modems and acquiring Bipolar Integrated Technology for Ethernet entry.[2] In June 1997, after moving headquarters to Burnaby, PMC overtook Sierra in a reverse takeover, renaming to PMC-Sierra.[1][2] Key Canadian co-founders and executives like Greg Aasen, Kevin Huscroft, and Colin Harris drove its evolution amid tech booms and busts.[6]
PMC-Sierra rode the optical networking and broadband explosion of the 1990s, capitalizing on telecom deregulation and internet growth to deliver chips enabling high-speed data transfer amid surging demand for fiber optics and storage.[1][6] Timing was critical: its 1995 transceiver hit just as OC-12 standards gained traction, fueling the tech boom while its post-2000 resilience—via cost controls and Ethernet/storage focus—aligned with data center and cloud precursors.[2][6] Market forces like rising bandwidth needs from enterprises favored its specialized SoCs, influencing the ecosystem by powering infrastructure for leaders like Cisco and Huawei, and demonstrating Canadian innovation in U.S.-dominated semis.[1][6] Post-acquisition, its tech bolstered Microsemi/Microchip's portfolio in communications and aerospace.[4]
Acquired in 2016 by Microsemi (now under Microchip Technology since 2018), PMC-Sierra's standalone story ends, but its IP endures in ongoing semis for 5G, AI-driven data centers, and edge computing.[1][3][4] Trends like exploding data traffic and optical advancements will amplify its legacy tech, potentially driving Microchip's growth in high-margin connectivity.[7] Influence evolves through integrated solutions at Microchip, underscoring how innovation and adaptability—PMC-Sierra's hallmarks—sustain impact in consolidating semis landscapes.[6] This fabless pioneer's arc from garage-like origins to billion-dollar exit ties back to its core: revolutionizing connectivity when the world needed speed most.
