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Broadcom Inc.

Semiconductors & Enterprise SoftwareFounded 1991
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Acquisitions

Broadcom Acquisitions

6

Major Deals Covered

$148.1B

Disclosed Deal Value

What are Broadcom's biggest acquisitions?

Broadcom's largest disclosed acquisition here is VMware for $69B in 2023. This page covers 6 major deals from 2014 to 2023, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.

Major deals covered
6
Largest deal
VMware ($69B)
First deal
2014
Most recent
2023
CompanyYearPricePurpose
LSI Corporation2014$6.6BAvago bought LSI, closing in May 2014, for its storage controllers, SAS and RAID chips and custom ASIC design teams that served server and storage makers.
Broadcom Corporation2016$37.0BAvago agreed in May 2015 to buy Broadcom Corporation for about $37 billion in cash and stock, the largest chip deal to that point, to gain its Ethernet switching, broadband and wireless franchises.
Brocade Communications Systems2017$5.9BBought for Brocade's Fibre Channel storage area network switches, a stable business with entrenched enterprise customers.
CA Technologies2018$18.9BBroadcom's first large software deal, struck months after its Qualcomm bid was blocked, bought CA's mainframe, DevOps and automation software and its base of large enterprise customers.
Symantec Enterprise Security business2019$10.7BAdded Symantec's enterprise endpoint, web, email and data loss prevention products, sold mainly to regulated industries and governments.
VMware2023$69.0BAnnounced in May 2022 at about $61 billion and completed on 22 November 2023 at about $69 billion including assumed debt, the deal added the virtualization software used in most corporate data centers.
What companies has Broadcom bought?
Major acquisitions by Broadcom documented here include VMware (2023), Broadcom Corporation (2016), CA Technologies (2018), Symantec Enterprise Security business (2019) and LSI Corporation (2014).
What is Broadcom's most recent acquisition?
The most recent Broadcom acquisition documented here is VMware, in 2023, for $69B.

VMware

2023

$69.0B

Why

Announced in May 2022 at about $61 billion and completed on 22 November 2023 at about $69 billion including assumed debt, the deal added the virtualization software used in most corporate data centers.

Impact

Infrastructure software revenue nearly tripled to about $21.5 billion in fiscal 2024 and reached $27.0 billion in fiscal 2025. Broadcom ended perpetual licenses, bundled products into VMware Cloud Foundation and sold the end-user computing unit to KKR for about $4 billion in 2024.

Outcome

Integrated, but contested. Customers and European cloud providers objected to the pricing changes, CISPE asked the EU General Court in July 2025 to annul the merger clearance, and a European Commission investigation into VMware licensing continues as of 2026.

Source →

Symantec Enterprise Security business

2019

$10.7B

Why

Added Symantec's enterprise endpoint, web, email and data loss prevention products, sold mainly to regulated industries and governments.

Impact

Expanded infrastructure software. Broadcom kept the products and sold Symantec's Cyber Security Services consulting unit to Accenture in 2020.

Outcome

Completed in November 2019; Symantec's consumer business stayed separate and became Gen Digital.

Source →

CA Technologies

2018

$18.9B

Why

Broadcom's first large software deal, struck months after its Qualcomm bid was blocked, bought CA's mainframe, DevOps and automation software and its base of large enterprise customers.

Impact

Created the infrastructure software segment. Broadcom cut costs and concentrated on the largest customers, raising profitability.

Outcome

Completed in November 2018; the template for the Symantec and VMware deals.

Source →

Brocade Communications Systems

2017

$5.9B

Why

Bought for Brocade's Fibre Channel storage area network switches, a stable business with entrenched enterprise customers.

Impact

Added Fibre Channel switching to Broadcom's storage connectivity portfolio alongside the Emulex adapters it already owned.

Outcome

Completed in November 2017 after a U.S. national security review; Brocade's IP networking business was sold to other buyers.

Source →

Broadcom Corporation

2016

$37.0B

Why

Avago agreed in May 2015 to buy Broadcom Corporation for about $37 billion in cash and stock, the largest chip deal to that point, to gain its Ethernet switching, broadband and wireless franchises.

Impact

The combined company took the Broadcom name and AVGO ticker and gained the Tomahawk and Trident switch lines that became central to cloud and AI networks.

Outcome

Completed in February 2016. Data center networking became one of Broadcom's most important chip businesses.

Source →

LSI Corporation

2014

$6.6B

Why

Avago bought LSI, closing in May 2014, for its storage controllers, SAS and RAID chips and custom ASIC design teams that served server and storage makers.

Impact

Moved Avago into enterprise storage and data center silicon and gave it the ASIC design capability that later underpinned its custom accelerator business.

Outcome

Integrated; LSI's storage and custom silicon teams became core Broadcom groups. Avago sold LSI's flash controller unit, SandForce, to Seagate in 2014.

Source →

Broadcom Inc.'s Growth & Acquisition Strategy

Broadcom's growth plan has two engines. In chips, it co-designs custom accelerators with a short list of customers, including Google's TPU, Meta's MTIA, OpenAI and Anthropic, and sells the Ethernet switches, network adapters and optics that connect them. In software, it is moving VMware's installed base onto VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions; VCF 9.0 shipped in June 2025 as a private-cloud alternative to the public cloud, and infrastructure software revenue rose 29% to $8.8 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. Acquisitions, the historic third engine, have been on hold while VMware debt is paid down.

How Broadcom Inc. Makes Money

Broadcom reports two segments. Semiconductor Solutions sold $36.9 billion of chips in fiscal 2025: custom AI accelerators (XPUs) designed with hyperscale customers, Tomahawk and Jericho Ethernet switch chips, network adapters, optical components, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, RF filters for smartphones, broadband gateway chips and storage connectivity. Infrastructure Software brought in $27.0 billion, mostly VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions plus mainframe, security and automation software from CA and Symantec. Most advanced chips are made by outside foundries, chiefly TSMC. The mix is moving quickly toward AI: in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 semiconductors were 70% of revenue, and AI chips alone were $16.7 billion of the $29.6 billion total.

Broadcom Acquisitions FAQ

What are Broadcom's biggest acquisitions?

VMware (about $69 billion including debt, 2023), Broadcom Corporation ($37 billion, 2016), CA Technologies ($18.9 billion, 2018), Symantec's enterprise business ($10.7 billion, 2019), LSI ($6.6 billion, 2014) and Brocade ($5.9 billion, 2017).

When did Broadcom buy VMware?

It announced the deal in May 2022 and completed it on 22 November 2023 after approvals in the U.S., EU, UK and China.

Why was Broadcom's Qualcomm bid blocked?

CFIUS judged it a national security risk, including over 5G research, and President Trump blocked it on 12 March 2018.

What has Broadcom sold after acquisitions?

VMware's end-user computing unit to KKR for about $4 billion in 2024, Symantec's Cyber Security Services unit to Accenture in 2020, and LSI's SandForce flash controllers to Seagate in 2014.

Is the EU investigating Broadcom over VMware?

Yes. The European Commission is investigating VMware licensing, and on 3 August 2026 the EU General Court refused to suspend a Commission order requiring Broadcom to hand over documents. CISPE separately challenged the 2023 merger clearance in July 2025.

Did Broadcom buy VMware?

Yes, in 2023 Broadcom executed a massive $61 billion acquisition of the enterprise software giant VMware, immediately shifting it to a subscription model and drastically raising prices on corporate customers.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.