ICEpower — Our History

Who We Are Our History Academic Collaboration Career Contact Us

	1994 Karsten Nielsen starts working on his PhD dissertation in ‘Audio Power Amplifiers Techniques Based on Efficient Power Conversion’ as part of a collaboration project between Bang & Olufsen and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

	1997 Even before Karsten Nielsen’s dissertation is finalized, B&O applies his findings to the new speaker system BeoLab 1, which proved the excellent performance and reliability of the improved Class D amplifiers.

	1998 Karsten Nielsen’s PhD project is defended before two absolute gurus of the audio world: Professor Malcolm Hawksford and Dr. James A.S. Angus of the United Kingdom. Having earned his PhD degree, Dr. Nielsen is hired by B&O to coordinate integration of the improved Class D amplifiers into B&O products.

	1999 A much broader application field is projected for the improved Class D amplifiers and B&O spins off the amplifier division into a separate firm, originally called Bang & Olufsen PowerHouse. The firm is co-owned by Dr. Nielsen and Bang & Olufsen. This is the first time since the times of Mr. Bang & Mr. Olufsen that B&O enters into a joint venture with a private person. B&O contributes with organisation, brand and resources, and Dr. Nielsen - with patents and know-how. The new product concept is a fully integrated amplifier component directly mountable on a circuit board. The dramatic levels on 250W, 500W and 1000W are selected for the first products to generate maximum industry attention. The industrial design is fine-tuned together with B&O’s head designer David Lewis.

	2000 The firm grows from 1 to 8 persons and moves to Kgs. Lyngby, just outside of Copenhagen and only 1.5 km away from the Technical University of Denmark. This geographical proximity allows to intensify research collaboration and facilitates recruitment of suitable engineers. The start-up firm is driven by a simple strategy: technological leadership within audio power conversion – from a power source to an acoustic output. The firm is organized as an R&D lab where research is carried out in close collaboration with the DTU and the results are integrated into audio power conversion solutions, which can be Standard or Customized. An additional Partner Business Unit is established with the objective of entering the markets with high product complexity, such as mobile phones and automotive audio, where close collaboration for new product development with partners from the industry is required.

	2001 Bang & Olufsen PowerHouse is renamed into Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. Kristian Ougaard joins the company as the Director of R&D. ICEpower’s first standard series of products, the A Series, is launched.

	2002 ICEpower partners up with Sanyo Semiconductor - the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality audio amplifier chips, a.k.a. hybrid amplifiers, which are used in consumer electronics products. ICEpower technology platform is designed to expand the integration of Sanyo products into a wider array of audio products.

	2003 Partnership with Samsung Telecommunications is initiated for the development of a dedicated amplifier platform for mobile phones. ICEpower ASP Series is launched.

	2005 ICEpower defines its four focus markets: Speaker Engines (consumer and professional speakers, stand-alone amplifiers, music systems, etc.), Home Theatre, Automotive Audio and Portable Audio. Within the Speaker Engine division, the ASC Series of solutions is launched. Within the Automotive Audio division, the ICEcar1 platform is developed to be applied in B&O audio system for Audi cars, as well as in the after-market audio systems of Pioneer, Alpine and Fujitsu Ten. Peter Sommer joins ICEpower as the President & CEO. MobileSound1 platform is developed as part of the Samsung-ICEpower collaboration. ICEpower amplifiers now drive 40 percent of all Samsung phone models worldwide.

	2006 Partnership with Toshiba Semiconductor is initiated for the collaborative development of the ICEcar2 platform, which is to be marketed to the leading international automotive manufacturers.

	2007 The ASX2 Series of audio power conversion solutions is launched. The first Home Theatre solution, the 150ASH7 is launched, and the 100ASH7 is in development. The MobileSound 2 platform is in development.

	2008 Bang & Olufsen purchases 100 percent shares in ICEpower. New management team is in place: Peter Sommer – CEO Kristian Ougaard – CTO Tomas Schiønning – Director of Operations Collaboration with Samsung Telecommunications is extended for a new series of music mobile phones. ICEpower ASX2 Series is finalized with the release of 250ASX2 module in December. ICEpower ASX2 Series is finalized with the 250ASX2 module released in December. More events are coming up. Please check this page for the updates.