Intel Buying Mobileye for $15 Billion
March 13th, 2017Via: Recode:
Cars coming off the assembly line in the next few years will have computing power to rival your cellphones, and they’ll get even more complex as automakers introduce more self-driving technology.
That’s why Intel — known for its chips, data centers and computing capabilities — just bought self-driving tech supplier Mobileye for $15 billion. Intel, which has long been a supplier to the PC industry, lost out on the mobile revolution. It sees cars as “data centers on wheels,” generating as much as four terrabytes of data a day.
Mobileye, which makes an array of cameras and laser-based sensors, already sells its technology to 27 automakers, as well as to other automotive suppliers. It has a firm foothold within the car industry. Intel, meanwhile, has an automotive division, but it doesn’t have as many direct inroads into autonomous driving.
The self-driving industry is still very new and car manufacturers as well as auto suppliers are all creating different parts of the technology. Chipmaker Nvidia, for example, competes with both Intel and Mobileye. In addition to making chips, Nvidia also has mapping technology.
While Mobileye is one of the few companies that has a comprehensive set of technology, no single company currently offers the entire stack of technologies for self-driving. Intel and Mobileye together would be able to marry the data-crunching needs with sensor tech.
