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The Finance Base
Broadcom

What Ethernet Assets Did QLogic Acquire from Broadcom?

QLogic’s 2014 Broadcom deal covered selected Ethernet-controller assets and non-exclusive IP, while Broadcom remained the intended ASIC supplier. Filings report different transaction values on different bases.

By TheFinanceBase Team 2 min read
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QLogic did not buy Broadcom or its entire Ethernet business. In a transaction announced on February 18, 2014, and completed on March 13, QLogic acquired selected Ethernet-controller assets and related intellectual property associated primarily with Broadcom’s NetXtreme II family. Broadcom remained the intended ASIC supplier for the product line under a long-term supply arrangement.

What QLogic acquired

The agreement covered certain 10/40/100Gb Ethernet controller-related assets, principally associated with Broadcom’s programmable NetXtreme II family, along with non-exclusive intellectual-property licenses. The scope was a defined set of assets and rights—not a purchase of Broadcom as a company or a wholesale transfer of its Ethernet business. Broadcom and QLogic’s February 18, 2014 announcement described the transaction’s scope.

When the deal happened

Broadcom and QLogic announced a definitive agreement on February 18, 2014. The announcement said closing was expected in the first quarter, subject to customary conditions. QLogic reported that the acquisition was completed on March 13, 2014, in its Form 8-K filed that day.

How much QLogic paid—and why reports differ

The published figures use different descriptions and accounting bases. They should not be treated as interchangeable totals.

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Report and date Reported amount What the figure describes
Joint announcement, February 18, 2014 Approximately $147 million in cash Announced consideration for the transaction; closing was still pending.
QLogic Form 8-K, March 13, 2014 $147.3 million in cash, subject to adjustments, plus assumed liabilities QLogic’s closing-period description of the asset purchase.
QLogic fiscal 2015 Form 10-K $147.8 million total cash consideration, plus assumed liabilities QLogic’s later annual-report figure.
Broadcom fiscal 2014 annual report $209 million Broadcom’s broader description of the “QLogic Transaction,” which included sold controller-related assets and non-exclusive IP licenses.

Broadcom’s annual report also recorded a $48 million gain on sale, net of a $37 million goodwill adjustment, and $120 million of deferred revenue. Those are seller-side accounting figures, not additional amounts to add to QLogic’s stated cash purchase price. The underlying disclosures are in QLogic’s 2014 Form 8-K, QLogic’s fiscal 2015 Form 10-K, and Broadcom’s fiscal 2014 annual report.

Broadcom continued supplying ASICs

The transfer of controller-related assets did not mean QLogic would independently make every component used in the products. The announced long-term supply agreement made Broadcom the ASIC supplier to QLogic in support of NetXtreme II. QLogic’s fiscal 2015 annual report described a development and supply agreement requiring it to purchase related ASICs and services from Broadcom. In practical terms, the deal separated ownership of selected controller assets and associated rights from supply of the related ASICs.

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What the companies said the deal would do

At announcement, Broadcom executive Rajiv Ramaswami said the company was focusing internal Ethernet-controller efforts on its end-to-end data-center platform while establishing a long-term ASIC supply relationship with QLogic. QLogic President and CEO Prasad Rampalli described the acquisition as a way to gain technology, serve enterprise Ethernet-controller customers, and accelerate time to market. These were management’s stated reasons and expectations, not independently verified measures of the deal’s later performance.

QLogic’s later filing said the transaction expanded its product portfolio and was expected to accelerate time to market in server Ethernet connectivity. At closing, QLogic also announced a restructuring plan to consolidate its product roadmap. Its Form 8-K estimated pre-tax restructuring charges of $13 million to $16 million, primarily associated with consolidating engineering activities; that was a contemporaneous estimate, not a verified final cost.

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