One of the original and most successful investments of Amadeus, CSR is a leading developer and provider of single chip wireless solutions designed to support data and voice communications over short range radio links. Its use of the 2.4GHz Bluetooth personal area networking standard allowed CSR’s solutions to be implemented through a range of ICs incorporating differentiated on-chip software. The company has adopted a fabless business model under which the manufacturing of its ICs – utilising industry standard bulk CMOS processes – and their assembly, packaging, testing and shipping are sub-contracted to third parties. This model, which is readily scalable, allows CSR to focus its efforts on the design, development, sales, marketing and support of its products and significantly reduce capital requirements. As the company has grown, it has built on its position as the leader in Bluetooth silicon. In 2004 CSR launched a range of true single-chip Wi-Fi devices, called UniFi, that deliver unparalleled size, power, performance and cost advantages to product designers. These are the first Wi-Fi solutions specifically targeted at mass-market mobile phones and other pocket-sized consumer products such as digital cameras and MP3 players.
CSR was spun out of Cambridge Consultants in 1998, when Amadeus helped the founders create a company dedicated to single chip Bluetooth solutions. Since then, Amadeus has supported the company in each of the subsequent rounds of finance and through the IPO process. At the end of 2005, Amadeus exited CSR, selling its final stock holding in the open market.
