19861998: Initial years Federico Faggin and
Carver Mead founded Synaptics in 1986. They used their research on
neural networks and
transistors on chips to build pattern recognition products In 1991, Synaptics patented a refined "winner take all" circuit for teaching neural networks how to recognize patterns and images. The circuit uses basic physics principles in order to select the strongest signal from the different processors. In 1992, the company used the pattern recognition techniques it developed to build the world's first touchpad for laptop computers that allowed users to control the cursor and click with no additional mechanical buttons. The pad was a replacement for
trackballs and mice used at the time. By 1994, Twinhead and
Epson America had adopted Synaptics' touchpad for their computers (Epson with the
ActionNote), followed by
Apple in 1995
19992010: Initial public offering and growth In 1999, Francis Lee took over as CEO. In 2002, Synaptics had an
initial public offering. As adoption of the touchpad grew, Synaptics sought to integrate the technology with other products. In 2004, Apple debuted the
iPod Mini and fourth-generation
iPod, both featuring a scrolling
click wheel that used Synaptics' capacitive touch technology. Synaptics also provided a similar but vertical click wheel for the
Creative Zen Touch portable media player. In 2005, Synaptics sensors were featured in the Samsung B310, the first mobile phone to use
capacitive-touch technology. The company's touch technology was used in
LG's
Prada phone in 2007, which was the world's first mobile phone with a capacitive touchscreen. In 2009, Synaptics announced the development of the Fuse concept smartphone. It had touch sensitivity on the back of the phone, the ability to interact with the phone by squeezing, animated icons, a user interface sensitive to the phone's orientation and tilt, and
haptic gestures.
20112019: Expansion, acquisitions, and further growth In 2011, Synaptics appointed
Rick Bergman to succeed Francis Lee as CEO. In 2012, Synaptics introduced the first pressure recognizing touchscreen, which allowed multi-finger and variable-force input. In late 2013, Synaptics acquired Validity Sensors, a fingerprint sensor vendor, adding fingerprint sensing technology to the company. In the same year, Synaptics relocated its headquarters to San Jose from Santa Clara. Six months after the move, Synaptics expanded its campus, purchasing nearby property for $10 million. Synaptics acquired Renesas SP Drivers Inc., a Japanese company specializing in chips that manage LCD displays, in 2014. The acquisition enabled Synaptics to combine touch and display driver technologies into a single "TDDI" (Touch and Display Driver Integration) chip. In 2015, the company expanded into additional markets, including automotive,
wearables and PC peripherals. In July 2015, Synaptics announced a unique “match-in-sensor” fingerprint authenticator for laptops and other devices that authenticates the fingerprint within the chip. The company introduced its first optical-based fingerprint sensor in December 2016, which would allow the sensor to be placed under smartphones' glass displays rather than under a separate button. After improving the technology, the company sent it into full production a year later. In January 2018, the Chinese company
Vivo announced a smartphone featuring Synaptics' optical fingerprint sensor. This was the world’s first full-production smartphone with fingerprint authentication directly in the
OLED display. In July 2017, Synaptics acquired
Conexant Systems, an
Amazon Alexa partner that creates voice and audio software and silicon products for
smart homes. At the same time, Synaptics acquired
Marvell Technology Group's Multimedia Solutions unit, which creates video and audio processing technology. The two acquisitions were intended to aid Synaptics' expansion into the
Internet of things (IoT) market. In August 2019, the board of directors appointed Michael Hurlston as the new CEO. Under Hurlston's leadership the company focused on growing its IoT business, expanding from its focus on sensors on glass towards development of low-power sensors to IoT devices. The partnership allows Synaptics to use Eta's Tensai Flow software, including its AI applications and neural network tools, while Eta gains access to Synaptics' ultra-low-power Katana Edge AI SoC. In October 2022, Synaptics acquired Emza Visual Sense, an Israel-based company specializing in ultra-low-power AI for visual sensing. In 2024, Synaptics introduced a platform based on its neural network processing technology for developers of Edge AI products. It provides hardware and software resources intended to support the creation of custom applications. == Technology ==