Intel Snaps Up Chipmaker Lantiq To Boost IoT Platform

Intel has announced another boost to its push towards becoming an Internet of Things (IoT) powerhouse with the acquisition of German chipmaker Lantiq.

The computing giant will acquire all of Lantiq’s broadband access and home networking technologies, including over 2,000 patents related to broadband communications. The Munich-based company has supplied its DSL (digital subscriber line) solutions to more than 100 global operators, giving them extra scope for transmitting data through telephone lines.

The acquisition means that Intel will also gain Lantiq’s knowledge and expertise concerning cable residential gateway technology, a key part of ‘smart gateways’, which provide the means for data to be transmitting across connecting networks in the IoT.

Lantiq says the deal will also broaden its DSL, Fiber, LTE, retail and IoT smart router presence.

‘Smart and connected’

“Intel and Lantiq share a common vision about the evolution of the connected home and the intelligent network,” said Dan Artusi, Lantiq CEO. “Together we can drive the transformation of the broadband customer premises equipment (CPE) as it becomes a smart gateway that connects an increasingly diverse roster of devices and services in the home.”

The Internet of Things is a growing area of interest for Intel,partly due to the rising demand for computing strength to power the growing ecosystem, which it expects to consist of more than 800 million broadband connected households worldwide by 2018.

The company launched an IoT-dedicated business unit in 2013, reporting directly to CEO Brian Krzanich, and has opened four dedicated innovation centres in the EMEA region, the most recent of which was in Swindon last June. Earlier this year, Krzanich unveiled a new family of ‘gateway’ solutions for IoT devices based on the Quark System-on-a-Chip and Atom processors.

In December, Intel revealed its own platform to drive the IoT, which looks to cover the whole range of technological infrastructure, covering not just device connectivity, but also the cloud, with the company announcing a range of new hardware and software to support the launch.

“Intel has been a global leader in driving broadband into the home and to connected compute devices,” said Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group. “The combination of our cable gateway business with Lantiq’s technology and talent can allow global service providers to introduce new home computing experiences and enable consumers to take advantage of a more smart and connected home.”

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