Annual report 2021

Annual results 2021

u-blox solidified its silicon-to-cloud approach by acquiring full ownership of Sapcorda, further distinguishing its market position within the IoT sector, met the component shortage head-on, and delivered growth across its markets during a time of extraordinary challenge for our world.

Letter to

Our Shareholders

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Our strategy

Swiss tradition from silicon-to-cloud

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Innovation

Complete solution on one chip

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2021 at a glance

Business highlights

We acquired Sapcorda

u-blox acquired the remaining 57% ownership of our Sapcorda Joint Venture in March 2021. The acquisition and rapid integration of the Sapcorda team reinforces our position as a leader driving innovation in the most advanced areas of GNSS positioning technology and represents another step forward in the execution of our silicon-to-cloud strategy.

We shipped our 10 millionth LTE-M module

Optimized for IoT applications – from fleet management and asset tracking in logistics to smart parking and water and gas monitoring in smart cities - u-blox LTE-M modules are in demand, and we have taken a leading role in this connectivity technology.

We’ve tripled wafer capacity

By extending the number of chips produced on one wafer by a factor of 3, we can deliver 3 times as many components with the same amount of silicon and meet the semiconductor shortage challenge head-on.

Our people and the pandemic

Fortunately, under the guidance of our global Covid-19 task force, with a rapid transition to most staff working from home and a very high level of understanding and support, u-blox has not experienced a Covid-19 outbreak at any of its global sites and continued to work at full capacity.

We launched CloudLocate

This new u-blox service enables positioning in the cloud to extend the life of energy-constrained IoT applications by calculating a location and delivering it to the enterprises’ cloud rather than to a device or asset.

Market-ready solutions on one chip

We began producing chips with functional software inside. Delivering on our silicon-to-cloud promise, we are one of the few companies able to provide market-ready solutions with concurrent positioning and communication capabilities on one chip.

Loyal customers with 9x the pre-Covid order book level

Order book as of December 2021 was 9 times the level prior to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, reflecting the growing demand of our increasingly interconnected world and the high level of u-blox customer loyalty.

Creating value

Our silicon-to-cloud journey

With renewed commitment and sustainable progress

Throughout these challenging times, our commitment to doing business sustainably remains steadfast. u-blox employees across the world, together with our shareholders, innovative customers, manufacturing, and other partners, continue to progress to a more sustainable future.

High IoT density and demand

Our smart and highly reliable products, services, and solutions make it possible for people, vehicles, and machines to determine their precise position and connect wirelessly over cellular and short range protocols to the cloud.

With steadfast determination

Financial highlights