Molex acquires Keyssa wireless connector technology

Molex Acquires Keyssa Wireless Connector Technology to Support Growing Demand for High-Speed ​​Board-to-Board, Contactless Connectivity

• Acquisition of Keyssa’s technology and intellectual property will advance commercialization and market penetration of contactless connectors

• Accelerate the development of next-generation contactless connectors for point-to-point data transmission, eliminating reliance on mechanical connectors

• Ideally suited to support high-volume mobile and consumer electronics, as well as industrial, automotive and medical applications

• Expands Molex’s portfolio of microminiature connector solutions by leveraging its world-class millimeter wave antennas, high-speed signal integrity and volume manufacturing expertise

Lisle, Illinois – December 9, 2021 – Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, has acquired the core technology and intellectual property (IP) of Keyssa Inc., a pioneer in high-speed contactless connectors. The acquisition of this unique wireless chip-to-chip technology, including more than 350 patent applications, will accelerate Molex’s strategy to further expand and enrich its micro connector product portfolio, providing highly flexible cable-free connectors for near-field, device-to-device (D2D) applications.

"Keyssa's wireless chip-to-chip technology complements Molex's development in millimeter wave antenna connectivity to meet the growing demand for high-speed data transmission," said Justin Kerr, vice president and general manager of Molex's Micro Solutions business unit. "To meet the needs of our mobile and consumer electronics customers, we continue to push technology advancements to provide greater product design freedom while supporting next-generation wireless connectivity needs."

Optimizing communication between devices

As mobile and consumer products become smaller, thinner, and sleeker, the need to optimize inter-device communications is growing. At the same time, it is equally important to simplify the internal communications of mobile devices, such as the increasing amount of data transmitted between displays, cameras, and other key components. In addition to getting rid of the reliance on solid cables or connectors, the acquired technology also alleviates pairing and reliability concerns. The fully encapsulated, dust-proof and waterproof packaging with a wide alignment tolerance also enhances the manufacturability of the design.

Currently, the acquired technology has a data transmission rate of up to 6 Gbps in the 60 GHz band without the interference issues that exist with WiFi or Bluetooth. This tiny, low-power, low-latency solid-state contactless connector can solve critical data transmission needs at the lowest cost. Molex plans to improve current capabilities by supporting higher data rates and full-duplex communications. In addition, Molex will use its long-standing signal integrity expertise and millimeter wave antenna capabilities to accelerate the commercialization of new contactless connectors while complementing its existing product portfolio.

Molex will also leverage Virtual Pipeline I/O (VPIO) technology developed by Keyssa to address protocol inefficiencies. By aggregating low-speed and high-speed protocols transmitted simultaneously on one or more links, VPIO can help compensate for real-time events that affect the integrity of link performance. VPIO combined with contactless connectors can create scalable and efficient I/O that is not limited by mechanical connectors and can be adjusted and scaled according to application needs.

Strategic investment drives market momentum

Molex is building a team of more than 25 engineers in the United States and India to develop next-generation products based on this technology. Initially, the focus will be on the unique connectivity needs of high-volume mobile devices, where contactless connectors offer potential advantages in design and manufacturing, serviceability, reliability, signal aggregation, and security. Over time, Molex will apply this technology to emerging applications, including smart factories, advanced automotive safety, medical robots, and more.

Molex Eric VanAlstyne, Director of Corporate Development, said: “Molex has a long-term commitment to investing in world-class solutions that not only solve current problems for leading mobile and consumer device manufacturers, but also anticipate their future challenges. The decision to acquire Keyssa’s technology and intellectual property solidifies our position as a preferred supplier through innovation in the areas of mechanical and contactless connectivity.”

Molex Consumer and Commercial Solutions

Molex With proven expertise in 5G, mmWave, RF, signal integrity, antennas, power, camera and display technologies, Molex provides critical connections for the entire mobile device ecosystem. Precision, volume manufacturing and miniaturization enable Molex to meet changing market demands and provide leading mobile device manufacturers and their suppliers with the smallest, densest and most advanced connectors currently available on the market.