{{Short description|Swiss semiconductor company}} {{Infobox company | name = u-blox Holding AG | logo = U-blox logo.png | type = Public | traded_as = {{SWX|UBXN}} | foundation = 1997 | location_city = Thalwil, canton of Zürich, Switzerland | key_people = {{ubl|Stephan Zizala (CEO) | André Müller (Chairman)}} | industry = Semiconductors, Internet of Things (IoT) | revenue = {{nowrap|{{Increase}} {{CHF|262.9 million|link=yes}} (2021)}}<ref name="report24">{{Cite web |title=u-blox Annual Report 2024 |url=https://content.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/documents/annual-report-2024.pdf}}</ref> | operating_income = {{nowrap|{{Increase}} {{CHF|121.8 million}} (2021)}}<ref name="report22">{{Cite web |title=u-blox Annual Report 2022 |url=https://report2022.u-blox.com/}}</ref> | net_income = {{nowrap|{{Increase}} {{CHF|101.8 million}} (2021)}}<ref name="report22" /> | num_employees = 850 (2025)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key figures |url=https://content.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/documents/half-year-results-presentation-2025.pdf}}</ref> | website = {{URL|https://www.u-blox.com}} }} '''u-blox''' is a Swiss company that creates wireless semiconductors and modules for consumer, automotive and industrial markets. They operate as a fabless IC and design house. The company originated as a spin-off from ETH Zurich and was founded in 1997.
Listed at the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX:UBXN), it has offices in the US, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Australia, Ireland, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Italy and Greece.
In 2025, private equity firm Advent International agreed to acquire u-blox via a public tender offer, and later announced completion of the transaction.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-08-17 |title=Private equity group Advent to acquire U-Blox for $1.3 billion |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/private-equity-group-advent-acquire-u-blox-13-billion-2025-08-17/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2025-11-26 |title=Advent completes acquisition of u-blox |url=https://www.adventinternational.com/news/advent-completes-acquisition-of-u-blox/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |publisher=Advent International}}</ref>
== History == {{Expand section|date=December 2023}} Based in Thalwil, Switzerland, u-blox is a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jain |first=Sakshi |date=2023-06-13 |title=The core idea behind u-blox has always been to explore new business opportunities using module-based solutions with third-party chips- Andreas Thiel |url=https://www.eletimes.com/the-core-idea-behind-u-blox-has-always-been-to-explore-new-business-opportunities-using-module-based-solutions-with-third-party-chips-andreas-thiel |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=ELE Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Well positioned with GPS technology |url=https://www.ethlife.ethz.ch/archive_articles/071221-ublox/index_EN.html |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=www.ethlife.ethz.ch |archive-date=2023-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117065234/https://www.ethlife.ethz.ch/archive_articles/071221-ublox/index_EN.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was founded in 1997. Thomas Seiler served as CEO for two decades until his retirement on December 31, 2022, when his position was taken over by Stephan Zizala.<ref name="CEO">{{Cite web |date=24 May 2022 |title=u-blox announces CEO transition effective 1 January 2023 |url=https://www.u-blox.com/en/u-blox-announces-ceo-transition-effective-1-january-2023 |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=u-blox}}</ref>
In 2016, the company opened a new office in Taipei, Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-18 |title=u-blox Taiwan expands into new Taipei offices |url=https://www.iot-now.com/2016/05/18/47471-u-blox-taiwan-expands-into-new-taipei-offices/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=iot-now.com}}</ref> On November 26, 2025, three months after agreeing to buy it for $1.3 billion,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Figueras |first=Andrea |title=Advent International to Buy U-blox For $1.3 Billion |url=https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/advent-international-to-buy-u-blox-for-1-3-billion-89d58fcb |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> it was announced that the private equity firm Advent International had completed the acquisition of the company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lesechos-comfi.lesechos.fr/press-release/u-blox-ag-ubxn-advent-completes-acquisition-of-u-blox-gWsOPTznIAd|title=Advent completes acquisition of u-blox|work=Les Echos|access-date=2025-11-26|language=en}}</ref>
u-blox listed its shares on the SWX Swiss Exchange (now SIX Swiss Exchange) in October 2007.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/eth-zurich/Informationsmaterial/GB17/01_ETH_GB17_EN_low_industry_society.pdf |title=ETH Zurich Annual Report 2017 (Industry & society) |publisher=ETH Zürich |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2007-10-26 |title=Offer price for u-blox set at CHF 51 per share |url=https://www.u-blox.com/en/investor-press-releases/offer-price-u-blox-set-chf-51-share |access-date=2026-01-16 |publisher=u-blox}}</ref>
== Products and technology == u-blox develops and sells chips and modules that support global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), including receivers for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-12-14 |date=2021-01-14 |title=Chinese car maker chose u-blox GNSS receiver |publisher= electronicsweekly.com |url=https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/chinese-car-maker-chooses-u-blox-gnss-receiver-2021-01/}}</ref> The wireless range consists of GSM-, UMTS- and CDMA2000 and LTE modules, as well as Bluetooth- and WiFi-modules. All these products enable the delivery of complete systems for location-based services and M2M applications (machine-to-machine communication) in the Internet of Things, that rely on the convergence of 2G/3G/4G, Bluetooth-, Wi-Fi technology and satellite navigation.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-12-14 |date=2015-12-09 |title=U-blox Sharpens Focus on Connected Car Market |publisher=insideunmannedsystems.com |url=https://insideunmannedsystems.com/u-blox-sharpens-focus-on-connected-car-market/}}</ref> A collaboration to create GNSS receiver that work globally was started between u-blox, SoftBank and ALES in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-12-14 |date=2021-11-19 |title=SoftBank Corp. and u-blox to Collaborate on Global GNSS Augmentation Services |publisher=insidegnss.com |url=https://insidegnss.com/softbank-corp-and-u%E2%80%91blox-to-collaborate-on-global-gnss-augmentation-services/}}</ref> One year later, in 2022, u-blox released the at the time smallest LTE Cat 4 Module LARA-L6.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-12-14 |date=2022-05-24 |title=Smallest LTE Cat 4 Module with Global Coverage and 2G/3G Fallback |publisher=nasdaq.com |url=https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/u-blox-ag:-u-blox-launches-worlds-smallest-lte-cat-4-module-with-global-coverage-and}}</ref> The company launched a dual-band GNSS module in 2023 that uses the L1 as well as the L5 GPS frequency bands.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2024-08-14 |date=2024-03-20 |title=u-blox Introduces F10 Dual-Band GNSS Platform for Superior Urban Positioning Accuracy |publisher=insidegnss.com |url=https://insidegnss.com/u-blox-introduces-f10-dual-band-gnss-platform-for-superior-urban-positioning-accuracy/}}</ref> In 2024 u-blox released the LEXI-R10, which was, according to the company, the smallest LTE Cat 1bis module at time of launch.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2024-08-14 |date=2024-06-23 |title=Universally Applicable 4G Cellular Modules in Compact Form Factor Target IoT Usage |publisher=epdtonthenet.net |url=https://www.epdtonthenet.net/article/206103/Universally-Applicable-4G-Cellular-Modules-in-Compact-Form-Factor-Target-IoT-Usage.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2024-08-14 |date=2024-06-18 |title=u-blox launches new LTE Cat 1bis cellular modules |publisher=electronicspecifier.com |url=https://www.electronicspecifier.com/products/iot/u-blox-launches-new-lte-cat-1bis-cellular-modules}}</ref>
== Acquisitions == They acquired a dozen companies after their IPO in 2007, after acquiring connectblue<ref name="connblu">{{Cite web|title=u-blox acquires connectBlue; adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity|url=http://www.connectblue.com/fileadmin/Connectblue/Web2006/Documents/Press_releases/PRESS_RELEASE_connectBlue_u-blox.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605042816/http://www.connectblue.com/fileadmin/Connectblue/Web2006/Documents/Press_releases/PRESS_RELEASE_connectBlue_u-blox.pdf|archive-date=5 June 2016|access-date=2021-04-09|website=www.connectblue.com}}</ref> in 2014 and Lesswire in 2015 <ref name="lesswire">{{Cite web|date=2014-12-02|title=u-blox acquires automotive short range modules business from Lesswire|url=https://www.u-blox.com/en/investor-press-releases/u-blox-acquires-automotive-short-range-modules-business-lesswire|access-date=2021-04-09|website=u-blox|language=en-US}}</ref> they acquired Rigado's module business in 2019.<ref name="rigado">[https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2019-07-31/u-blox-ag-u-blox-acquired-rigado-s-bluetooth-modules-business-and-extends-bluetooth-low-energy-offerings-for-customer u-blox acquired Rigado's Bluetooth Modules Business]</ref> In 2020, u-blox acquired Thingstream.<ref name="thingstream">{{Cite web|title=Thingstream acquired by u-blox|url=https://www.u-blox.com/en/investor-press-releases/u-blox-acquires-iot-communication-service-provider-thingstream|website=u-blox|date=April 2020 }}</ref> In 2021, u-blox AG acquired Sapcorda Services GmbH, a provider of high precision GNSS (global navigation satellite system) services.<ref name="sapcorda">{{Cite web|title=u-blox acquires full ownership in Sapcorda Joint Venture|url=https://www.u-blox.com/en/investor-press-releases/u-blox-acquires-full-ownership-in-sapcorda-joint-venture|website=u-blox|date=18 March 2021 }}</ref> and Naventik GmbH, a German company specializing in the development of safe positioning solutions for autonomous driving.<ref name="naventik">{{Cite web|title=u-blox and Naventik|url=https://www.itsax.de/partner_profil/naventik/naventik-gmbh-acquired-by-u-blox-in-chemnitz|website=itsax|access-date=2023-04-16|archive-date=2023-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416102611/https://www.itsax.de/partner_profil/naventik/naventik-gmbh-acquired-by-u-blox-in-chemnitz|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|www.u-blox.com}} *[https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=UBXN:SW Bloomberg Business] *[https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=UBXN.SW Yahoo! UBXN stock quote] *[http://www.medicaldevice-developments.com/contractors/material-solutions/u-blox/ New possibilities with internet of things] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028080530/http://www.medicaldevice-developments.com/contractors/material-solutions/u-blox/ |date=2015-10-28 }} *[http://www.elinor.se/index.php/Multiradiolosning-i-gemensam-forpackning.html Multi Radio Solution] *[http://automotive.electronicspecifier.com/telematics/improving-3d-automotive-navigation-accuracy Improving 3D automotive navigation accuracy] *[http://m2m-alliance.com M2M alliance]
{{Portal bar|Companies|Switzerland}} {{Authority control}} Category:Companies established in 1997 Category:Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange Category:Semiconductor companies of Switzerland Category:Swiss brands Category:Navigational equipment Category:Radio navigation Category:Wireless locating Category:Companies based in the canton of Zurich Category:Thalwil Category:2025 mergers and acquisitions