Ceva

CEVA (NASDAQ: CEVA) was formed in 2002 through the merger of DSP Group's IP licensing division and Parthus Technologies. Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, the company's primary R&D operations are based in Israel. CEVA licenses silicon intellectual property (IP) for wireless connectivity, digital signal processing, and smart sensing. In January 2023, Amir Panush assumed the role of CEO, succeeding long-time chief executive Gideon Wertheizer. Later in 2023, CEVA sold its Intrinsix design services business to Cadence for $27.5M to focus exclusively on its core IP licensing model.

CEVA operates on a pure-play IP licensing model, providing RTL code, DSP cores, and software stacks to semiconductor companies and OEMs. The company generates revenue through upfront licensing fees and ongoing per-unit royalties for every chip shipped that contains its IP. This model allows chipmakers like NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Renesas to integrate complex standards like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 5G, or audio/vision processing capabilities, without developing the foundational architecture internally.

The product portfolio centers on Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) optimized for audio, voice, and vision. Wireless connectivity IP is driven by the RivieraWaves product line (acquired in 2014), which provides Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and UWB solutions. CEVA also licenses the NeuPro family of AI processors for edge inference applications, and provides sensor fusion software modules originating from its 2019 acquisition of Hillcrest Labs.

CEVA competes with the IP divisions of major Electronic Design Automation (EDA) companies, specifically Cadence's Tensilica DSPs and Synopsys's DesignWare IP, as well as independent IP vendors like Arm and Imagination Technologies. CEVA holds a significant share of the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi IP licensing market, with its architectures embedded in billions of smartphones, consumer electronics, and IoT devices produced annually.

CEVA's primary R&D centers are located in Herzliya and Haifa, housing the core of its global engineering and technical operations. The Israeli sites focus heavily on VLSI design, chip architecture, signal processing algorithms, and embedded software. The company maintains strong Israeli leadership—including current CEO Amir Panush and long-serving CFO Yaniv Arieli—and actively hires semiconductor engineers, DSP specialists, and algorithm developers in the local talent market.