Silicon Labs CEO Sees 'Multi-Protocol' Capability With Z-Wave Over Time

Silicon Labs' Z-Wave acquisition from Sigma Designs, completed last week, will add about $8 million revenue in Q2, and about $40 million for the year, said CEO George Tyson Tuttle on a Wednesday earnings call. The addition of Z-Wave into Silicon Labs’ sales channel and portfolio increases the company’s position in the smart home, where it's also strong with Zigbee and Bluetooth connectivity, said Tuttle. On how the technologies will integrate, Tuttle described a user commissioning a device with Bluetooth via smartphone, getting on to a Zigbee or Thread network, and “over time we anticipate that multi-protocol capability to be part of an extension and acceleration of the Z-Wave roadmap.” The Z-Wave addition extends Silicon Labs’ access to a “diverse range of ecosystem partners” including Amazon, Alarm.com, ADT, Samsung SmartThings, Yale, Vivint, Google Home, Ring and Comcast, said the executive. Z-Wave’s focus on product interoperability combined with Silicon Labs' Gecko platform and “multiprotocol expertise” will allow Silicon Labs to “accelerate the Z-Wave road map while enhancing features and capabilities,” he said. Q2 revenue was $205 million vs. $201 million in Q4 and $179 million in the year-ago quarter, said the company.