Cirrus Logic vs Aleph Alpha

About

Cirrus Logic was founded in 1984 in Austin, Texas and has become the dominant supplier of high-performance audio chips to Apple. The company's digital-to-analog converters (DACs), analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), smart codecs, Class D audio amplifiers, and haptic feedback drivers are designed into every iPhone generation, providing the audio circuitry for the speaker, microphone, and headphone subsystems. Approximately 82% of Cirrus Logic's revenue comes from Apple.\n\nCirrus Logic's products are differentiated by their low-power, high-fidelity audio performance and integration of signal processing intelligence, including always-on voice activation and noise suppression. The company has expanded from audio into haptic actuator controllers and is developing mixed-signal IP for wearables, hearables (AirPods), and automotive infotainment. Revenue was approximately $1.8 billion in FY2025, reflecting Apple's continued premium device volume.\n\nWhile the concentrated customer base creates risk, Cirrus Logic's deep technical collaboration with Apple and long design cycle times (2–3 years for new device sockets) create strong customer stickiness. The company has been expanding its product roadmap into sensing and power management to reduce Apple dependency. Cirrus Logic is publicly traded (CRUS) and operates a fabless model, outsourcing manufacturing to foundries including TSMC and GlobalFoundries.