Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) stated that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 1,400 patents of Powerwave Technologies, which has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, in January. The chip maker said that majority of the patents are in the field of wireless telecommunications technology and processes.
Patents to help in wireless PC plans
Intel said in a statement, “Powerwave was a pioneer in telecommunications infrastructure products, including antennas and base stations.” The statement continued saying that the patent includes telecommunication infrastructure technologies such as including tower-mounted amplifiers, antenna structures, power amplifier configurations, crest factor reduction, and digital pre-distortion circuitry.
The chipmaker bought the patents from an affiliate of Los Angeles-based private equity company the Gores Group, who took the patents after Powerwave filed for the bankruptcy. There was no revelation over the value of the acquisition.
These patents hold importance for Intel as the company is looking forward to design completely wireless PC based around its next-generation Skylake processor to remove cables for the power and peripheral.
At the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco Kirk Skaugen, general manager of the PC Client Group said that the company’s reference designs for Skylake based-2-in-1 computers and PCs will use wireless technologies.
Intel developing patent portfolio
Previously, also Intel acquired slew of patents to boost the company’s patent portfolio. Back in 2012, the chip maker paid $375 million for 1,700 patents from InterDigital. The chipmaker said that InterDigital portfolio involved “patents primarily related to 3G, LTE, and 802.11 technologies.”
Intel Corp’s acquisition of Powerwaves telecommunication related patents came on the heels of Qualcomm’s acquisition of Israeli startup Wilocity to boost the next-generation Wi-Fi networks WiGig and 802.11ad.
Intel is pushing into mobile devices, and in a bid to ramp up the growth CEO Brian Krzanich revealed a New Dell tablet. Additionally, the company is also making footprints in the smartphone market as Krzanich is expecting many smartphone makers to use Intel chips in their phones.
Prior to Powerwave, two years back Kodak sold its 1,100 patents to a consortium of tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google, after filing the bankruptcy. Kodak patents, containing host of digital imaging patents, were valued at $2 billion, but were finally sold for $525 million.
