MPS looks to bring Axign’s audiophile quality to the mass market

US-based Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) has announced the acquisition of Axign, the fabless semiconductor startup from Enschede that specializes in audio controller chips. According to the Dutch company, its programmable multicore DSPs demonstrate near-zero distortion signals with significantly reduced power consumption, revolutionizing signal processing and amplification for automotive and consumer audio systems. MPS plans to expand its presence in the Netherlands, leveraging Axign’s established local connections, in particular to the University of Twente.

Axign took off in 2014 with patented technology from Axiom IC. This renowned UT chip design spinoff had been bought by US semiconductor powerhouse Teledyne a year earlier. Jeroen Langevoort worked at Axiom-IC at the time of the acquisition. “We had developed an audio technique that the Americans had no use for so we asked them if we could start our own company with it,” the Axign founder told U-Today in 2017, when his startup had just finished its first product, the AX5689 4-channel digital-input Class D audio controller (links in Dutch).