Intel is buying a chip maker company called Movidius. Never heard of them? They pride themselves of cutting edge technology innovation. Movidius currently works on RFID chips for drones. Intel is one of the most profitable tech companies in the world. So drones plus chips could equal what?
Intel has been on a spending ‘spare no expense’ spree to stay ahead in technology advancement. Last month, they paid almost a half billion dollars for Nervana Systems. That’s a new machine company. Meanwhile, Movidius seems determined to make a name for itself in the tech industry. They’ve made deals with Google and Lenovo, among others. They’ve come up with a chip called Myriad 2. This chip, roughly the size of a fingernail, can stream multiple videos at once. That’s why Intel wants Movidius’ technology, and their chip. Intel has their camera technology called RealSense. RealSence includes cameras, facial recognition, fingerprints and finger tracking, VR gaming, and new technology that supports drones. Movidius can help Intel’s RealSense tremendously. And Intel leaders know it.
Josh Walden, Intel’s VP of new technology, stated Movidius’ Myriad 2 chip offers lots of possibilities. It offers opportunities to help them track, navigate, and follow every scene picked up by an instrument, such as a drone. Intel wants this chip to help them in drones, robotics and virtual reality. I’m confident Movidius can do it. Little is known about this deal. It should be completed by the end of 2016. We don’t know how much money is being exchanged. We don’t know how many employees will be affected. I hope everyone at Movidius keeps their job. It sounds like Intel needs Movidius more than Movidius needs Intel. I’m interested to see what this merger makes. There’s a lot of talk of tracking and following. I hope they can respect people’s privacy. But in 2016 America, that’s probably too much to ask for. Drones plus chips equals what?