September 23, 2024 /SemiMedia/ — Knowles Corporation has agreed to sell its consumer MEMS microphone business to edge AI company Syntiant for $150 million, comprising $70 million in cash and $80 million in stock. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Following the sale, Knowles will focus on its portfolio of medical technology microphones, capacitors, RF filters, and balanced armature speakers. In 2023, Knowles acquired capacitor manufacturer Cornell Dubilier for $263 million in cash, expanding its precision device segment with new product offerings.

For Syntiant, the acquisition strengthens its position in the edge AI market by integrating sensors, processors, and software into a full-stack solution. Syntiant CEO Kurt Busch said the future of microphones will increasingly include AI capabilities, particularly in enhancing natural language understanding and automating complex tasks.

Syntiant has shipped over 50 million neural decision processors (NDP) to date, with plans to further utilize AI-enabled microphones for voice recognition, noise suppression, and audio event detection.