Jan. 7, 2021, Santa Clara, CA – Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, maker of high-performance field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, and ACE Convergence Acquisition Corp. (ACE) (Nasdaq: ACEV), a special-purpose acquisition company, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in the combined entity continuing as a publicly listed company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined operating entity will be named Achronix Semiconductor Corporation and will be listed under the ticker symbol ACHX.
As the only independent, high-end FPGA semiconductor company that offers both high-end standalone FPGAs along with eFPGA IP technology, Achronix is uniquely positioned to address the needs of high-performance applications that require programmable hardware accelerators. Demand for FPGA-based data accelerators is driven by the rapid expansion of high-growth markets, including AI, Cloud, 5G, and ADAS. Achronix’s semiconductor portfolio targets the nearly $10 billion data acceleration market, which is expected to have double-digit CAGR through 2025. (Data according to Semico Research.)
Achronix’s data acceleration solutions provide optimal performance per watt compared to CPU- and GPU-based solutions with the additional benefits of hardware flexibility to support changing acceleration workloads. As compute performance requirements are now doubling in as little as three to four months, the need for dedicated FPGA-based hardware accelerators is growing rapidly. Customer validation of Achronix’s products is substantiated by nearly $240 million in orders received in 2020. Achronix’s new Speedster7t and Speedcore products, built on leading-edge process technology, have contributed to a design pipeline value in excess of $1.1 billion and are expected to drive Achronix’s future growth.
“We are very excited to have found the ideal merger partner in Achronix, the last remaining independent, high-end FPGA player,” said Behrooz Abdi, CEO and Chairman of ACE. “John Lofton Holt and Robert Blake have created a truly disruptive semiconductor company, with highly differentiated data acceleration FPGA products, complemented with a highly innovative embedded FPGA IP business model. Further bolstering Achronix’s robust free cash generation with proceeds from the merger will accelerate deployment of the company’s data acceleration solutions and position Achronix to fast track additional strategic growth initiatives.”
“The next era of growth and opportunity is in the trillions of connected devices providing compute-intensive intelligence, all fueled by network connectivity and 5G,” said Robert Blake, Achronix’s Chief Executive Officer. “Achronix’s technology was designed to address the insatiable demand for new hardware-based data acceleration, which we believe is resulting in significant long-term growth opportunities for our company. We are excited to partner with Behrooz and the ACE team at this inflection point in the company’s trajectory to capitalize on our design pipeline in excess of $1.1 billion, as we continue to create value as a public company.”
Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will be led by the Achronix management team including Chief Executive Offer Robert Blake and Chief Financial Officer Mark Voll. Behrooz Abdi and Dr. Sunny Siu of ACE, with their combined 59 years of semiconductor experience, will add value to Achronix post-transaction by leveraging their deep sector knowledge and industry relationships, as board members and/or senior advisors.
The transaction reflects an implied equity value of the combined company of $2.1 billion, based on current assumptions, with a $10.00 per share PIPE financing subscription price. Upon closing, the combined company will receive up to $330 million in cash, comprised of $150 million in gross proceeds from a concurrent PIPE financing and up to $230 million in cash held in trust by ACE, assuming no redemptions by ACE shareholders, less $50 million paid to Achronix’s existing shareholders.
The boards of directors for both Achronix and ACE have unanimously approved the proposed business combination. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the first half of 2021. The transaction is subject to, among other things, the approval by ACE’s shareholders, satisfaction or waiver of the conditions stated in the definitive merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) and other customary closing conditions including a registration statement on Form S-4 being declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the receipt of certain regulatory approvals, and approval by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC to list the securities of the combined company.
Additional information about the proposed transaction, including a copy of the Merger Agreement and investor presentation, will be provided in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by ACE with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov. Additional information about the proposed transaction will be described in ACE’s registration statement on Form S-4 relating to the merger, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents regarding the proposed transaction, each to be filed with the SEC.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as sole financial advisor and capital markets advisor to Achronix. Cooley LLP is serving as legal advisor to Achronix. Jefferies LLC is serving as lead financial advisor to ACE. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. served as placement agents to ACE, with Barclays also serving as capital markets advisor to ACE. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is acting as legal counsel to the placement agents. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. also served as a capital markets advisor and Northland Securities, Inc. is also serving as financial advisor to ACE. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal advisor to ACE.
