News Article
Perspective: Pirelli rolls back into compounds
Eight years after it sold its optical components business to Corning for a staggering $3.6 billion in cash, the Italian company best known for its tires and calendars is back in the compound semiconductor industry.
Pirelli s decision to invest $20 million in InP chip manufacturer CyOptics marks the return of the Italian company to compound semiconductors after an eight-year gap.
Back in September 2000, at the height of the fiber-optic technology boom, Pirelli s optical components division was a key supplier of the 980 nm GaAs-based pump lasers that power the erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) used in long-haul submarine networks.
Then, in a deal that epitomized the freakish nature of the technology bubble, US-based optical fiber manufacturer Corning bought the Pirelli business for a cool $3.6 billion. In cash.
