Each Winner Will Receive $10,000 in Semiconductor Components to Help Bring Their IoT Ideas to Product Reality

AUSTIN, Texas & THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 24, 2015 — Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), the leading provider of semiconductor and software solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), and Digi-Key, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced an IoT design contest for pioneering developers who want to create connected “things” that will help make the world a smarter, more connected and energy-friendly place. Co-sponsored by Silicon Labs and Digi-Key, the “Your IoT Connected World” design contest is open to inventors of all skill levels, from professional embedded developers and seasoned makers to electronics enthusiasts.

The contest runs now through July 17, with three winners to be announced on August 3, 2015. Visitors to the www.YourIoTContest.com site will vote to decide on 15 finalists, and expert judges from Silicon Labs and Digi-Key will choose the three winners. Each winner will select the Silicon Labs components they need (microcontrollers, wireless chips, sensors, boards and more – valued up to $10,000 USD) to bring their prize-winning IoT ideas to market as commercially viable products.

“The silicon and software technology needed to make ‘your IoT’ a reality is available today, and it’s up to pioneering developers like you to create the next IoT innovations that will help save time and energy, enhance health and security, and improve the quality of life for people everywhere,” said Peter Vancorenland, vice president of engineering and IoT solutions at Silicon Labs. “This is your chance to bring your groundbreaking IoT ideas to market, enabled by Silicon Labs development tools and kickstarted by $10,000 in Silicon Labs components.”

“Whether designers are solving an existing problem or creating a totally new invention, ideas are limited only by the developer’s imagination,” said David Sandys, director of technical marketing for Digi-Key. “Winning IoT designs may include innovations like connected home devices, smart appliances, lighting control systems, wearable technology, security systems, wireless sensor networks and much more.”

To get started, simply visit www.YourIoTContest.com. All IoT designs must contain a Silicon Labs microcontroller (MCU) product. Each contestant must submit photos or a brief video overview of their IoT product design. Silicon Labs offers a wide array of 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs, wireless ICs, interface chips, optical and environmental sensors, and development tools for IoT applications, all available through Digi-Key. To help simplify the evaluation, design and prototyping process, Silicon Labs’ Simplicity Studio development platform can be downloaded at no charge at www.silabs.com/simplicity-studio.

The competition is open to contestants in selected countries in the Americas and EMEA including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (excluding Quebec), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

For more details including complete contest rules, please visit www.YourIoTContest.com.

About Digi-Key Corporation

Digi-Key Corporation, based in Thief River Falls, Minn., is a global, full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, offering more than four million products from over 650 quality name-brand manufacturers. With over one million products in stock and an impressive selection of online resources, Digi-Key is committed to stocking the broadest range of electronic components in the industry and providing the best service possible to its customers. Additional information and access to Digi-Key's broad product offering is available at www.digikey.com.

About Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is a leading provider of silicon, software and system solutions for the Internet of Things, Internet infrastructure, industrial control, consumer and automotive markets. We solve the electronics industry’s toughest problems, providing customers with significant advantages in performance, energy savings, connectivity and design simplicity. Backed by our world-class engineering teams with unsurpassed software and mixed-signal design expertise, Silicon Labs empowers developers with the tools and technologies they need to advance quickly and easily from initial idea to final product. www.silabs.com

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