Atheros

Atheros Communications, Inc. was an American semiconductor company that designed wireless networking system-on-a-chip solutions for consumer and embedded devices. Based in Santa Clara, California, the company produced WLAN chips supporting 802.11a/b/g/n, and also offered related connectivity ICs that combined processing, radio, and MAC layers on a single device. Atheros chips were used in laptops, routers, access points, and other electronics, and the company emphasized energy efficiency and high integration to reduce system cost.

Founded in 1998 by engineers and entrepreneurs, Atheros grew to become a major supplier of wireless LAN technology. Its devices were widely adopted by original equipment manufacturers, contributing to the ubiquity of Wi‑Fi in everyday devices. The company supported software drivers for multiple operating systems, including Linux, which helped enable broad interoperability of its chipsets.

In 2011, Qualcomm announced the acquisition of Atheros for about $3.1 billion, and the deal closed later that year. The Atheros brand became part of Qualcomm's Connectivity Solutions group, with product lines marketed under Qualcomm Atheros during the transition and integration into Qualcomm's broader wireless portfolio.