Intel announced it will acquire Infineon Technologies' wireless division for $1.4 billion.
The acquisition, rumored for several weeks, is expected to help the computer chip giant compete in the smartphone market and make a run for the lead in the LTE baseband market. Intel is keen on getting chips into mobile devices as they outpace traditional CPUs that go into PCs. So far, Intel's low-power Atom chips have struggled to make their way into smartphones. Now it should have the resources to take on dominant player Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) in the LTE baseband market.
Infineon's Wireless Solutions division makes 3G chips and baseband processors that are used in Apple's iPhone and the iPad, and Samsung's Galaxy S.
For more:
- see this IDG News Service article
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