Orca is targeting the smart health and smart factory markets with customized analog solutions.

Founded in 2018, Orca Semiconductor’s mission is to address the challenging design problems engineers face in competitive vertical markets that demand optimized analog semiconductor solutions. Initially, the folks at Orca are targeting the Smart Health and Smart Factory markets, but they may well branch out into other markets in the future.

There used to be a lot of small analog design houses. Over time, however, they consolidated into a few dominant “big analog” companies that tend to be set in their ways. By comparison, Orca is small and unencumbered with maintaining legacy solutions from yesteryear. This leaves Orca free to quickly respond to market demands.

Orca’s first product, which was introduced in the summer of 2024, is targeted at Smart Health applications, The Orca Semiconductor 1000 (OS1000) is a cutting-edge power management integrated circuit (PMIC) designed for smart health, wearable, hearable, and other connected devices. It features a linear battery charger with SYS output, dual buck converters, and dual LDOs/load switches, making it the most advanced PMIC in its class. Engineered to maximize battery life and support high-performance microcontroller architectures, the OS1000 addresses the stringent power and battery management demands of modern applications.

The company’s second product, which was introduced in the fall of 2024, is targeted at Smart Factory (Industry 4.0) applications. The Orca OS2000 is a groundbreaking IO-Link transceiver chip designed for industrial applications, offering compatibility with both IO-Link Sensor/ Actuator and IO-Link Master systems.

It rivals the dominant MAX22515 by Analog Devices, matching its compact 2.0mm x 2.5mm size while delivering enhanced capabilities at a lower price. The OS2000 simplifies designs with two control interfaces (I2C or GPIO), integrated surge protection, two linear voltage regulators, an internal clock generator, and a digital input channel. Its five output frequency options make it compatible with most robust protections shield external-facing pins from reverse voltage, short circuits, and surges. As a pin-compatible drop-in replacement for the MAX22515, the OS2000 sets a new standard for cost-effective, feature-rich IO-Link solutions, challenging established market leaders.