Magnus Carlsen, the Best Player in Chess History, Becomes an Ambassador for Nordic Semiconductor in Three-year Sponsorship Deal

OSLO, Norway, Aug. 14, 2013/PRNewswire / — Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA (OSE: NOD) today announces it is sponsoring Magnus Carlsen, the youngest player to be ranked number one in world chess and the highest ranking points holder in the history of the game, in a three-year deal.

Norwegian Carlsen rose to the top of the world rankings in January 2010, just after his 19th birthday. He has so far peaked at a record high of 2872, earning him the right to be called the best player in chess history. In 2013, Time magazine ranked Carlsen among the 100 most influential people in the world. Carlsen takes on the reigning world champion, Vishny Anand, in a 12-match playoff for the world championship title in Chennai, India, later this year.

With the signing of the Nordic deal, Carlsen has completed his sponsorship portfolio. “We kept one sponsorship position open for a while in order to find the best partner,” comments Carlsen’s manager Espen Agdestein. “For Magnus it`s not just a question of money, but of finding sponsors with values and beliefs that he can relate to.”

“There are great benefits to our brand in the association with Magnus,” adds Svenn-Tore Larsen. “Just like him, Nordic has succeeded in a very competitive global sector. While Magnus’ business is chess and Nordic’s is ultra low power wireless technology, both have to be continuously creative, while still being totally reliable. There is no room for mistakes in either environment.”

Carlsen is enthusiastic about the partnership. “Nordic is the leading company in a market that is about to boom, with a cascade of new products and services being developed all over the world,” he comments. “I look forward to being part of this revolution.”

The latest smartphones from major manufacturers incorporate chips and software supporting Bluetooth v4.0 or ANT+ that can communicate with Bluetooth Smart devices or ANT+ peripherals equipped with Nordic’s nRF51 Series Systems-on-Chip. This functionality is yielding many new opportunities for wirelessly connected products, powered by coin cell batteries, such as handset accessories, sports & fitness monitors, and toys.