TECH giant Apple has signed a contract with a Swindon silicon chip design team in a £460m deal.

The Silicon Valley giant has entered into a licence agreement with Swindon-based Dialog Semiconductors to use the company's power management technology, used in chips in its iPhones and iPads, and has ordered three years’ worth of chips from the company.

The deal will see Dialog transfer 300 employees to Apple in return for the money and further contracts.

It means Apple will employ around 100 Dialog engineers in Swindon who will move from the current site on the Delta Business Park to another nearby Swindon office.

The news was welcomed by Swindon Borough Council, which is keen to attract more investment in digital technologies to the town.

Coun Oliver Donachie, cabinet member for Economic Prosperity,who said: “This is superb news for Swindon and reinforces what we already know – that we have digital technology businesses that are bursting with talent. It is also one of the reasons why we have invested in the Carriage Works in order to provide a hub for up-and-coming tech start-ups.

“The fact a global giant like Apple has bought into one of our firms shows our companies are valued around the world and this should serve as a big boost to what is one of our strategically important sectors.

“It also comes just a few days after Swindon and Wiltshire was named among the top 20 high value manufacturing hotspots by Advanced Engineering.

“For a town of our size Swindon’s economy is punching well above its weight and the council is committed to doing all it can to continue to establish the town as the place to do business.”

Engineers will help with the development and supply of power management, audio subsystems, charging and other mixed-signal integrated circuits.

The company CEO confirmed that staff will continue to operate out of the Swindon facility.

Mark Tyndall, senior VP of corporate development at Dialog Semiconductor, told the Adver: “This agreement with Apple is a big win for our company, our employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate. Swindon has been a great home for Dialog for more than thirty years, and Dialog will continue to have a significant presence here where more than a hundred people will continue to work for Dialog after the close of the transaction. 

“Additionally, I’m pleased to say that the the staff transferring to Apple will also remain in Swindon and is testament to how important this community, and the businesses that choose to operate here, are to the global technology industry.”

Gabriella Cox, Enterprise Europe Network lead for creative and digital at Business West, said: “It’s no surprise that a company from this region has been picked up by Apple. There is an array of hidden gems across the south west developing some truly innovative technology, not just in the advanced materials field, but also in cyber technology, artificial intelligence, immersive technology and agritech. 

“I expect we will see much more investment from multinationals over the region in the future.”