Synaptics Incorporated is an American semiconductor company headquartered in San Jose, California. It develops integrated circuits and associated software for electronic equipment manufacturers. It operates on a “fabless” model: it designs its chips but outsources their manufacturing to industrial partners. Found in computers, peripherals, connected devices and certain automotive equipment, its technologies perform functions that are often not readily visible to end users.
From human-machine interfaces to connected systems
Founded in 1986 by Federico Faggin and Carver Mead, among others, Synaptics built its business around interactions between humans and machines. Touchpads for laptops were one of its first areas of development. The company later expanded its work to touch controllers and display technologies, supporting the spread of interfaces controlled directly by touch.
This initial specialization gradually gave way to a more diversified portfolio. Several acquisitions supported this evolution: Conexant in audio and voice in 2017, DisplayLink in display connectivity in 2020, and then DSP Group in 2021 to strengthen audio processing and low-power applications in particular. At the same time, the acquisition of wireless connectivity operations for the Internet of Things from Broadcom in 2020 expanded its scope beyond interfaces.
Connecting, sensing and processing information
Synaptics’ activities now cover several complementary building blocks. Touch technologies enable gestures to be detected and interpreted. Audio solutions handle voice capture and processing. Connectivity components enable wireless communication, particularly through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. With DisplayLink, the company also supplies technologies used in docking stations and adapters that connect displays to a computer.
These functions are complemented by processors and platforms designed for connected equipment. The aim is to integrate more computing into the device itself, rather than systematically sending data to a remote server. This approach can reduce latency, limit data transfers and facilitate certain privacy-sensitive applications. However, it requires balancing processing power, electricity consumption, cost and ease of integration for manufacturers.
What now?
The Astra range, introduced in 2024, illustrates Synaptics’ focus on embedded artificial intelligence for the Internet of Things. The goal is to provide not only chips but also a software environment that enables manufacturers to develop their applications. Potential uses include vision, audio and local automation in particular.
What comes next will depend on Synaptics’ ability to turn this expanded portfolio into solutions that are actually adopted. In a competitive sector subject to cycles in demand for electronics, the quality of software support, component availability and energy efficiency will matter just as much as advertised performance. Its challenge remains to bring coherence to its different areas of expertise, from user interfaces to embedded computing.