Synaptics enters biometric ID market

Human interface firm Synaptics has expanded into the ever growing biometric ID market with the purchase of Validity Sensors, a developer of fingerprint authentication solutions for smartphones, tablets and laptops.

"With the acquisition of Validity, Synaptics expects to gain access to the fast growing biometrics market, significantly expanding its market opportunity and underscoring the company's commitment to making smart devices easier to use," Synaptics said in a statement.

Back in July, Validity announced that its fingerprint sensor will be used by Microsoft in products running Windows 8.1. The deal is worth up to USD 255 million in cash and stock over a period of time depending on performance, with an upfront payment of USD 92.5 million. "Biometrics has long been of interest to Synaptics as it complements our existing touch-based solutions and offers an exciting new way to interact with devices," said Rick Bergman, President and CEO of Synaptics. "We are thrilled to be adding the world class Validity team to the Synaptics family."

"Synaptics' acquisition of Validity puts our vision of having Natural ID on every mobile computing device on the fast track," added Validity CEO Rob Baxter. "The opportunity for our people, our shareholders and our technology, along with Synaptics' commitment to owning the human interface, made this partnership a natural fit. The acquisition adds Validity's world-class biometrics engineering team to a Synaptics team known for in-depth, system level engineering expertise."