Lenovo Buys Phoenix’s Firmware Business To ‘Strengthen’ PC Engineering And Control

Lenovo is looking to get a leg up over its PC competition with the purchase of Phoenix Technologies’ firmware BIOS business, gaining greater control and engineering capabilities across devices.

Lenovo has acquired Phoenix Technologies’ firmware BIOS business, its intellectual property and expertise to strengthen Lenovo’s control and engineering capabilities across its entire PC portfolio.

“By bringing firmware development in-house, we are strengthening our core engineering capabilities and gaining greater control over one of the most critical layers of the computing experience,” said Luca Rossi, president of Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group, in a statement.

“This will enable us to accelerate innovation, enhance security and deepen our vertical integration, while also unlocking meaningful cost efficiencies,” Rossi said.

The Hong Kong- and Morrisville, N.C.-based PC giant will gain firmware development and additional core software expertise in‑house, enhancing its ability to manage critical firmware across its PC portfolio as well as across other AI‑enabled devices.

Why Lenovo’s Acquisition Of Phoenix Firmware Matters In PC Market

Phoenix’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) acts as the first software to run when a PC is turned on, even before Windows loads.

With Phoenix’s BIOS in-house now, Lenovo gets direct control over a layer of its hardware that some of its competitors still outsource.

Lenovo is planning for its PC portfolio to now have faster firmware updates and better security than rivals that run on third-party BIOS code.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

What Is Phoenix’s Technology?

Founded in 1979, Phoenix has been a pioneer in firmware innovation with over a billion units installed worldwide, the company said.

The Campbell, Calif.-based company designs, develops and secures firmware for a wide range of devices including computers, tablets, notebooks, laptops, servers, embedded systems and other computing platforms.

Phoenix has over 180 patents, trademarks and copyrights in the firmware market and deep partnerships with companies such as Intel, AMD and Arm.

Lenovo will gain four core Phoenix products including FirmCare for firmware security monitoring and SecureCore for consumer and enterprise PCs. Lenovo also will get Phoenix’s ServerBMC for remote server management, as well as OmniCore for utilities.

Lenovo And Phoenix Have A 20-Year Relationship

Lenovo and Phoenix have worked together for more than 20 years, with Phoenix serving as a BIOS vendor for Lenovo’s ThinkPad product line.

The two companies have provided each other with continuous innovation, strong engineering capabilities, and deep partnerships with global silicon vendors.

Lenovo said it will build on its partnership to expand the impact of the acquired technologies and expertise.

“This transaction is a strategic step forward for Lenovo,” said Rossi. “With its strong heritage and leadership in firmware, Phoenix Technologies brings differentiated expertise that will further strengthen our portfolio.”