Infineon Technologies AG has announced Copenhagen-based startup Merus Audio, which creates energy-efficient integrated audio amplifier solutions. Founded in 2010, Merus Audio's solutions maximize audio performance and battery playback time for smart home and battery-powered speakers while minimizing heat and design space.

Soon after the integration with Merus, Infineon will offer its customers a comprehensive and leading-edge Class-D Audio amplifier portfolio, addressing the most demanding applications.

The technology complements Infineon's existing PowIRAudio product line for power levels below ~70W. "The move strengthens our ability to offer customers fully integrated system solutions for smart speakers", said Andreas Urschitz, Division President of Power Management & Multimarket, Infineon Technologies. "Merus Audio's innovative audio amplifier technology very well complements Infineon's existing sensor and audio processing expertise."

The fast growing segment of battery-powered smart speakers will benefit especially from the patented technology, which combines extended playback time and smaller designs with improved audio performance. Importance of quality of sound increases for smart speaker users, as listening to music becomes more popular with these devices. Based on the cascading converter technology, the Merus Audio solution allows to reduce the total harmonic distortion and noise.

Infineon Technologies has a strategic approach called "From Product to System" and the company's acquisition to Merus Audio adds another piece to Infineon's expertise in human-machine interaction. The start-up will be fully integrated into Infineon's existing audio business and becomes part of the Power Management & Multimarket Division. Both companies agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.