Texas Instruments Joins LiMo Foundation as First Semicon Company at the Core Member level

LiMo Foundation, a global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open handset platform for the whole mobile industry, and Texas Instruments Inc., announced the addition of TI as the Foundation’s newest Core member.

“With nearly two decades of wireless system experience, TI brings an unsurpassed heritage of supporting the advancement of embedded and mobile Linux devices,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director, LiMo Foundation. “TI fully shares the commitment of all LiMo member companies to advance the LiMo Platform, and thereby open new avenues of choice throughout the value system – we greatly look forward to TI’s contributions as our newest board member.”

By actively participating in LiMo Foundation, TI will work towards the advancement of the LiMo Platform; establish an open and diverse ecosystem that realizes the advantages of open Linux-based development, and collaborate with other committed mobile industry leaders and innovators. TI will assume a seat on LiMo’s Board of Directors, Executive Council, Architecture Council and Requirements Council, and will work within LiMo’s constructs to make valuable contributions to the development and advancement of the LiMo Platform.

“Joining the LiMo Foundation is a natural complement to TI’s commitment to provide solutions for all high-level operating systems, and in particular our long history in Linux development,” said Avner Goren, TI’s representative on the LiMo board and director of strategic marketing for TI’s Wireless Terminals Business Unit. “As a LiMo board member, TI will have the unique opportunity to leverage our experience delivering mobile Linux solutions for OMAP and our broad connectivity portfolio. Additionally, we look forward to collaborating with the LiMo membership to influence the direction of the LiMo Platform, further enabling our customers to deliver a high-quality user experience on Linux-enabled mobile devices.”

Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, chairperson of LiMo Foundation added, “As the market-leading semiconductor and processor supplier to mobile and smart phone manufacturers around the world, having helped its customers ship tens of millions of Linux-based phones, TI is a strategic addition to the Foundation and we are very pleased to welcome them on board.”

Launched in January 2007 by six mobile industry leaders – Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone – LiMo was formed to deliver an open and globally consistent software platform based upon mobile Linux for use by the whole industry to catalyze next generation mobile consumer experiences. LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace, including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third-party developers. LiMo members are participating collectively to building a rich ecosystem and have the ability to influence the evolution of the LiMo Platform, leaving them free to provide compelling and differentiated services to customers.