In the news
Nov 19, 2014

SanDisk Expands its Commitment to the ‘Connected Device’ Market with a Strategic Investment in Altair Semiconductor

SanDisk Ventures Invests in the Leading Developer of High-Performance, Single-Mode LTE Chipsets

MILPITAS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced that the company’s venture arm, SanDisk Ventures, has invested in Altair Semiconductor, the leading developer of high-performance, single-mode LTE chipsets. Altair’s high-performance products bring 4G LTE Internet connectivity to tablets, netbooks, USB dongles, portable hotspots, fixed routers and modems, machine-to-machine applications and other devices.

SanDisk’s investments through SanDisk Ventures enable the company to expand the possibilities of storage by advancing technologies and trends that are shaping the way that data is captured, stored, shared and managed.

“The combination of flash storage and LTE chipset technology offers the potential to deliver untethered Internet and device-to-device connectivity to a wide range of consumer electronics, and ultimately brings us closer to making the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) pervasive,” said Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, SanDisk. “Our strategic investment and collaboration with Altair will enable SanDisk to optimize our flash storage solutions for this important ecosystem and further strengthen our potential for growth in this highly dynamic market segment.”

Qualified for use by leading wireless carriers globally, Altair’s low-power and cost-efficient LTE chipset solutions enable a broad range of consumer and IoT devices to connect to each other as well as to the cloud. This significantly expands the potential of connected consumer and computing applications. Over 30 connected device manufacturers use Altair chips to power millions of end-user devices deployed commercially on 4G LTE networks around the world.

“SanDisk has made a name for itself both as a flash storage leader and an innovator, and we are pleased to welcome the company’s investment in Altair,” said Oded Melamed, co-founder and chief executive officer of Altair Semiconductor. “SanDisk’s deep technical expertise and strong mobile and connected solution ecosystem relationships will be incredibly valuable as we continue expand our LTE market leadership.”

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

About SanDisk Ventures

SanDisk Ventures is an initiative to invest $75 million over a three-year period in companies with promising technologies that extend the value proposition of flash-based solutions. By collaborating with SanDisk, these companies gain access to a broad product portfolio from a recognized leader in flash storage, world-class technical expertise, customer introductions and an expanded channel for their products and services.

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation (SNDK), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is a global leader in flash storage solutions. For more than 25 years, SanDisk has expanded the possibilities of storage, providing trusted and innovative products that have transformed the electronics industry. Today, SanDisk’s quality, state-of-the-art solutions are at the heart of many of the world’s largest data centers, and embedded in advanced smart phones, tablets and PCs. SanDisk’s consumer products are available at hundreds of thousands of retail stores worldwide. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.

© 2014 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved. SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for markets and investments and industry trends, which are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include, among others, the risk that the companies and technologies in which we invest may not perform in accordance with our expectations. Other risks may be detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and our annual report on Form 10-K. We do not intend to update the information contained in this news release.

Contact:
SanDisk Corporation
Laura Bakken, 408-801-7653
laura.bakken@sandisk.com