Consolidation will be a running theme in the IoT for many years to come, and the past year has been full of strategic mergers and acquisitions – especially in the silicon industry. One of the largest potential mergers in the space has now been confirmed, with Microchip successfully outbidding Dialog Semiconductor to acquire Atmel for around $3.5bn. Dialog was the first bidder, but Atmel later released a statement that it had received a superior offer. After the holiday break, it transpired that this bidder was Microchip, with a $7 cash and $1.15 in Microchip stock per Atmel share. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2015. After the identity was confirmed, shares in both Microchip and Atmel rose –…