From HP semiconductor roots to VMware: how Broadcom became an infrastructure technology giant
Broadcom’s history is more complicated than the history of one company changing its product line.
The modern Broadcom combines several technology lineages. One runs through the semiconductor operations of Hewlett-Packard and later Agilent before becoming Avago Technologies. Another comes from Broadcom Corporation, the communications-chip company founded in 1991 by Henry Samueli and Henry Nicholas.
Avago acquired Broadcom Corporation in 2016 and adopted the Broadcom name. Under chief executive Hock Tan, the combined company then expanded aggressively beyond semiconductors into infrastructure software through acquisitions including CA Technologies, Symantec’s enterprise-security business and VMware.
As of 18 September 2026, Hock Tan remains president and chief executive. Broadcom now describes itself as a semiconductor and infrastructure software company, with AI networking and custom accelerators forming an increasingly important part of its chip business.
One Broadcom lineage begins inside Hewlett-Packard
Broadcom’s own 2026 company overview traces Avago’s heritage to semiconductor operations established around 1960.
Those businesses eventually became part of Hewlett-Packard’s component operations and later Agilent Technologies when HP separated its measurement and component businesses.
Private-equity investors acquired Agilent’s semiconductor products group in 2005. The business became Avago Technologies and later listed publicly.
This lineage matters because the current corporate entity follows Avago rather than the original Broadcom Corporation.
The original Broadcom Corporation was founded in 1991
Henry Samueli and Henry Nicholas co-founded Broadcom Corporation in 1991.
The company built communications semiconductors for broadband, networking and connectivity markets.
Its products became embedded in cable modems, set-top boxes, networking equipment, wireless devices and other communications hardware.
Broadcom Corporation went public in 1998 and grew into one of the major semiconductor companies associated with broadband connectivity.
Hock Tan took control of Avago in 2006
Hock Tan became president and chief executive of Avago in March 2006.
His strategy combined disciplined management of established semiconductor franchises with major acquisitions.
Avago expanded through deals that added technologies and product lines, including the acquisition of LSI Corporation.
The biggest semiconductor transaction came next.
Avago bought Broadcom Corporation and took its name
In 2015, Avago announced an agreement to acquire Broadcom Corporation in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at US$37 billion.
The acquisition completed on 1 February 2016.
The combined company adopted the Broadcom name, while Hock Tan remained president and chief executive. Henry Samueli joined the board and served as chief technology officer for a period after the transaction.
This is why the history of modern Broadcom cannot be told as though Broadcom Corporation simply continued unchanged. The listed company carrying the Broadcom name is the successor to Avago after Avago acquired the original Broadcom.
The company then expanded into enterprise software
Broadcom’s next transformation took it outside the traditional boundaries of semiconductor manufacturing.
In 2018, Broadcom completed its acquisition of CA Technologies. The transaction moved the company into mainframe and enterprise infrastructure software.
Hock Tan described the deal as part of a strategy to build a leading infrastructure technology company rather than only a chip supplier.
Symantec added enterprise security
Broadcom acquired Symantec’s enterprise-security business in 2019.
The transaction brought endpoint, web, cloud and data-loss-prevention products into Broadcom’s infrastructure-software portfolio.
It also reinforced the company’s acquisition model: target established mission-critical technologies used by large enterprises, then integrate them into Broadcom’s operating structure.
VMware was the biggest software step
Broadcom announced plans to acquire VMware in 2022 and completed the transaction on 22 November 2023.
The deal pushed Broadcom much deeper into enterprise virtualisation, private cloud and infrastructure software.
VMware had built its identity around server virtualisation, allowing one physical machine to run multiple virtual systems. Over time it expanded into data-centre, networking, management and cloud software.
Bringing VMware into Broadcom meant the company’s software business was no longer a side activity beside semiconductors. It became one of the defining parts of the group.
Broadcom’s acquisition strategy created a portfolio of infrastructure franchises
The current Broadcom portfolio contains technologies with very different histories.
Semiconductor products cover networking, broadband, storage, wireless and custom silicon. Infrastructure software includes VMware, CA and Symantec enterprise products.
What connects them is not that they serve one consumer market. Broadcom generally focuses on foundational technology used inside networks, data centres, enterprise systems and communications hardware.
AI changed the importance of networking silicon
The generative-AI infrastructure boom created another growth opportunity for Broadcom.
Large AI clusters require extremely high-bandwidth networking between accelerators and servers. Broadcom supplies Ethernet switching, network interface and optical technologies used in that environment.
The company also develops custom AI accelerators for large customers.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, Broadcom said AI semiconductor revenue reached US$10.8 billion and was growing rapidly.
This demonstrates how semiconductor technologies originally associated with networking have become central to AI data-centre architecture.
Broadcom’s identity is now broader than its name suggests
Many consumers encounter Broadcom technology without seeing the brand prominently.
Its chips can sit inside networking equipment, phones, storage systems and data-centre infrastructure. Its software runs in enterprise environments rather than appearing as a mass-market consumer product.
Broadcom says more than 99% of internet traffic crosses through some form of Broadcom technology, a company claim that reflects how widely its connectivity portfolio is deployed.
How Broadcom became what it is today
Broadcom’s modern history is a story of consolidation.
The Avago lineage brought decades of semiconductor technology from HP and Agilent. The 2016 acquisition added the original Broadcom Corporation’s communications portfolio and its name. CA Technologies and Symantec then pushed the company into infrastructure software, while VMware transformed the scale of that software business.
Hock Tan has remained the common leadership figure through the modern acquisition era.
As of 18 September 2026, Broadcom is best understood as an infrastructure technology company with two major pillars: semiconductor solutions and infrastructure software.
That makes this page the natural TechnologyBlog.co.za cornerstone for future Broadcom chip, networking, VMware, private-cloud and enterprise-software coverage.
Primary sources checked include Broadcom investor releases, Broadcom’s 2026 company overview, executive biographies and acquisition announcements. Information reflects public material available on 18 September 2026.