Co-founder and CEO Oded Melamed Stepping Down to Pursue New Startup Opportunity
HOD HASHARON, Israel – November 14, 2019 – Altair Semiconductor, a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets, is appointing current VP System Engineering and Product Management Nohik Semel to CEO, to replace outgoing co-founder and CEO Oded Melamed. The appointment will be effective on November 18th, 2019.
Semel joined Altair in its very beginning and has spent the last 14 years in different executive positions. He is credited with the development of Altair’s LTE product portfolio, which power millions of LTE connected devices around the world. His accomplishments include developing the ALT1250, the lowest power, highly integrated chipset, and the ALT1160, the market’s most advanced CAT-1 IoT chipset.
“We wish Oded the best of luck and expect to see sensational developments from his next project,” said Nohik Semel. “With the support of our parent company Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Altair has never been as strong as it is today. As we move forward, I am excited to usher in the next chapter of Altair, where we will see new technologies come together to advance today’s connected world.”
Altair’s product line, led by the cellular IoT ALT1250 chipset, has seen widespread adoption, and the company’s expectation for explosive growth has been bolstered by increased collaborations and operator validations. Under Semel’s strategic vision, the company roadmap will introduce technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning into future iterations of the chipsets, and be compatible with leading 5G networks.
Oded Melamed, who co-founded the company in 2005, has led Altair Semiconductor from its inception, growing it to be a leading player in the LTE space. Altair Semiconductor was acquired by Sony in 2016.
About Altair Semiconductor
Altair Semiconductor, a Sony Group Company, is a leading provider of Cellular IoT chipsets. The company’s flagship ALT1250 is the smallest and most highly integrated LTE CAT-M and NB-IoT chipset, featuring ultra-low power consumption, hardware-based security, and a carrier-grade integrated SIM (iUICC), all 5G ready.
Altair partners with leading global vendors, including G+D (Giesecke+Devrient), HERE Technologies, Murata, Sierra Wireless and WNC, to provide low-power and cost-efficient modules for a range of industrial and consumer IoT applications such as trackers, smart meters, wearables, and vehicle telematics. Altair’s chipsets have been commercially deployed on the world’s most advanced LTE networks, including AT&T, China Mobile, KDDI, SoftBank Corp., Verizon, and Vodafone.
For more information, visit www.altair-semi.com. Follow Altair on Twitter: @AltairSemi and LinkedIn: Altair Semiconductor.