Broadcom to Acquire NetLogic Microsystems for $3.7 Billion

Broadcom, the maker of communications chips, agreed to buy NetLogic Microsystems for about $3.7 billion in cash to gain processors used in data networks.

NetLogic shareholders will get $50 a share. That’s 57 percent more than NetLogic’s closing price on Sept. 9. Broadcom, which makes chips for television set-top boxes, is using the deal to boost its customer base among companies that are building machinery to distribute video and other date- intensive content over the Internet. The purchase extends Broadcom’s product lineup with processors to manage data traffic.