Infineon has agreed to buy Cypress Semiconductors in a deal that values the U.S. maker of microchips used in cars and electronic devices at 9 billion euros ($10.1 billion) including debt.

Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon, said: “The planned acquisition of Cypress is a landmark step in Infineon’s strategic development. We will strengthen and accelerate our profitable growth and put our business on a broader basis. With this transaction, we will be able to offer our customers the most comprehensive portfolio for linking the real with the digital world. This will open up additional growth potential in the automotive, industrial and Internet of Things sectors. This transaction also makes our business model even more resilient. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues from Cypress to Infineon. Together, we will continue our shared commitments to innovation and focused R&D investments to accelerate technology advancements.”

Hassane El-Khoury, President and CEO of Cypress, said: “The Cypress team is excited to join forces with Infineon to capitalize on the multi-billion dollar opportunities from the massive rise in connectivity and computing requirements of the next technology waves. This announcement is not only a testament to the strength of our team in delivering industry-leading solutions worldwide, but also to what can be realized from uniting our two great companies. Jointly, we will enable more secure, seamless connections, and provide more complete hardware and software sets to strengthen our customers’ products and technologies in their end markets. In addition, the strong fit of our two companies will bring enhanced opportunities for our customers and employees.”

With the addition of Cypress, Infineon will strengthen its focus on structural growth drivers and serve a broader range of applications. Cypress has a differentiated portfolio of microcontrollers as well as software and connectivity components that are complementary to Infineon’s power semiconductors, sensors and security solutions. Combining these technology assets will enable advanced solutions for applications such as electric drives, battery-powered devices and power supplies. The combination of Infineon’s security expertise and Cypress’s connectivity know-how will also accelerate entry into new IoT applications in the industrial and consumer segments. In automotive semiconductors, the expanded portfolio of microcontrollers and NOR flash memories will offer potential, especially in light of their growing importance for advanced driver assistance systems and new electronic architectures in vehicles.

With the addition of Cypress’s strong R&D and geographical presence in the U.S, Infineon not only strengthens its capabilities for its major customers in North America, but also in other important geographical regions. The company adds to its R&D presence in Silicon Valley and gains presence, as well as market share, in the strategically important Japanese market. Based on pro forma revenues of €10 billion in FY 2018, the transaction will make Infineon the number eight chip manufacturer in the world. In addition to its already leading position in power semiconductors and security controllers, Infineon will now also become the number one supplier of chips to the automotive market.

Under the terms of the agreement, Infineon will offer US$23.85 in cash for all outstanding shares of Cypress. This corresponds to a fully diluted enterprise value for Cypress of €9.0 billion. The offer price represents a 46 percent premium to Cypress’s unaffected 30-day volume-weighted average price during the period from 15 April to 28 May 2019, the last trading day prior to media reports regarding a potential sale of Cypress.

The acquisition is subject to approval by Cypress's shareholders and the relevant regulatory bodies as well as other customary conditions. The closing is expected by the end of calendar year 2019 or early 2020.