Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp., which tends to keep tight-lipped on its business ties with Cupertino-based Apple Inc., made an exception in lauding Steve Jobs’ tenure in the wake of his decision to step down as chief executive.
It was a rare public confirmation by Broadcom of any business ties to Apple.
“As one of our largest, long-term customers, Apple is an innovation powerhouse and we fully expect the company to continue its tradition of technology breakthroughs,” Broadcom Chief Executive Scott McGregor said. “Apple has a deep and broad bench of engineers and staff who will continue the innovative work Jobs inspired.”
Broadcom’s stock performance tends to track Apple’s, which gives the chipmaker reason to root for Tim Cook as he takes over for Jobs as chief executive.
Broadcom makes communications, radio and touch-screen chips that go into Apple’s iPods, iPhones and iPads, among other products.
San Luis Obispo-based technology website iFixit.com in June reported that it had uncovered a Broadcom Wi-Fi transceiver and Bluetooth in Apple’s new MacBook Air, pointing to another line of sales for the chipmaker.
Apple reported strong MacBook sales in the June quarter, a trend that holds the potential to boost Broadcom’s revenue going forward.
The company is in line for more design wins for future iPhone and iPad models, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Harlan Sur, who said in a June investor note that Broadcom shipments to Apple will eclipse $750 million in 2011, up more than 50% from 2010.
EU Complaint
Irvine-based drive maker Western Digital Corp. plans to respond to a European Union antitrust complaint stemming from its proposed buy of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Inc.
“We will be submitting a detailed response to the Commission and intend to address issues identified in the statement of objections,” Western Digital spokesman Steve Shattuck told the Business Journal.
The EU’s objections rest on “its potential effects on competition,” according to a recent regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The $4.3 billion deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, is set to make Western Digital the undisputed leader in drives. It would also increase its corporate business.
The company now leads by number of drives shipped but is second in revenue to Scotts Valley-based rival Seagate Technologies LLC, which sells more corporate drives.
Western Digital’s proposed buy prompted Seagate to offer $1.4 billion for Samsung Electronics Co.’s drive business.
The buy would give Seagate added market share and access to Samsung flash memory chips in new solid state drives that use chips instead of spinning disks to store data.
If both deals are approved, it would trim the big players in the drive market from five to three, with Tokyo-based Toshiba Corp. being the other.
Western Digital believes its pending acquisition of Hitachi is good for competition, will benefit customers, enhance and accelerate innovation and should be cleared by all regulatory agencies reviewing it, according to Shattuck.
Clean Tech Expo
CleanTech OC will host its second annual conference and expo Sept. 12 at the Irvine Hyatt.
The event will feature dozens of exhibits, clean technology investment trends, speakers and panel discussions, including one with the chief executives of the CleanTech OC 2011 Company of the Year Award nominees.
Finalists include Seal Beach-based solar panel maker Amonix Inc.; FlexEnergy Inc., a renewable energy producer in Irvine; Lake Forest-based wastewater and energy conservation company M2 Renewables; Phoenix Energy Technologies, an Irvine energy auditing software and services provider; and Costa Mesa-based electric vehicle maker T3 Motion Inc.
The local clean tech industry—a broad sector that includes alternative energy, pollution control, recycling, green vehicles, energy-efficient lighting and other products and services—has grown mostly on its own, according to Taylor Honrath, director of Clean Tech OC.
“The county’s clean tech industry has witnessed impressive growth in recent years, even despite the overall lack of public funding that other clean-tech clusters throughout the state and nation have received,” he said.
The county now is home to nearly 300 clean tech companies that combine to employ about 20,000 people, according to CleanTech OC and the Orange County Business Council.
About 1,200 local clean tech jobs were added from 2007 to 2009, posting a 7% gain through the teeth of the recession, when the county’s overall economy shed about 102,000 jobs, a decline of more than 6%.
Clean tech employment outpaced the overall economy in 2010, based on preliminary data, and the sector is on pace to do the same this year as hiring in other segments stalls.
