Skyworks partners with several smart meter providers

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., an innovator of high reliability analog and mixed signal semiconductors enabling a broad range of end markets, announced that it is partnering with several of the energy industry's top solution providers to meet the growing worldwide demand for smart water, gas and electric meter readers.

These strategic partnerships are enabling Skyworks to develop and ramp low-cost solutions for remote meter reading applications and smart grid technologies. Smart grids deliver power and energy from suppliers to consumers using digital technology, reducing utility and consumer costs while increasing system reliability. Governments and utilities are actively promoting smart grids to address energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues.

Skyworks' customers include Badger Meter, ESCO Technologies, Itron, Landis + Gyr Group, and Sensus. Each of these key energy management providers leverage Skyworks' front-end modules and linear products for their next-generation meters and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solutions.

"Skyworks is pleased to be collaborating with the principal players in the advanced metering market," said Liam K. Griffin, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Skyworks. "The energy management space has tremendous potential with several catalysts driving demand. The adoption of wireless technology provides a compelling benefit to metering suppliers and utilities, and we are in the early stages of this global upgrade cycle. We are excited to deliver a suite of customized solutions in support of this rapidly growing market and look forward to enabling our customers' continued success with Skyworks' high performance analog technology."

Gartner expects more than 150 million smart meters to be installed worldwide in the next five years, with approximately 50 percent in North America - creating a cumulative semiconductor business of $2 billion by 2012. In the same December 2008 report, Gartner added that by 2012, consumers will be able to use personal communication devices, such as cellular phones, remotely to control the power consumption of electronics in their homes.