Analog Devices sues Xilinx for patent infringement

Analog Devices has sued its partner Xilinx for patent infringement of wireless communication products. If the court accepts Analog’s claims, Xilinx is likely to suffer a big hit to its 5G business, according to industry sources.

On Dec. 5, US time, Analog filed the lawsuit at a court in Delaware in the US, accusing Xilinx of violating its patents on Analog Digital Conversion (ADC) technology. Analog demanded both compensation and for Xilinx to stop selling some of the products in the lineup of Zynq Ultra-scale+ wireless RFSoC.

An unfavorable court ruling for Xilinx could serve a huge hit to its 5G business, as the products Analog says violates its patents are key parts of the technology, sources say. The amount that Analog is demanding as compensation has not been revealed.

In response, Xilinx slammed Analog and said it would fight back.

“We created what many thought could not be done with the introduction of the Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC – the industry’s only single-chip adaptable radio platform,” the company said in a statement. “We intend to vigorously defend against this lawsuit. Xilinx has a history of creating pioneering technology spanning multiple decades.”

Xilinx also criticized Analog’s actions. “Through its patent lawsuit, Analog Devices has chosen to litigate rather than compete in the market,” it said.

The Elec is South Korea’s No.1 tech news platform.