Intel to Acquire Patents from Powerwave Technologies

Intel recently signed a deal to obtain over 1,400 patents and patent applications registered by Powerwave Technologies, a global telecommunications corporation; Among many of which relate to wireless telecommunications technology.

Intel one of the world\’s largest and highest valued semiconductor chip makers comes with this acquisition as its ramps up its push for entirely wireless PCs, with the company expecting computers based around its next-generation Skylake processors to eliminate cables for power and peripherals.

\”Powerwave was a pioneer in telecommunications infrastructure products, including antennas and base stations,\” said Intel in a statement . \”The patents relate to, among other things, telecommunications infrastructure technologies, including tower-mounted amplifiers, antenna structures, power amplifier configurations, crest factor reduction, and digital pre-distortion circuitry.\”

The price which Intel paid for acquiring the Powerwave patent portfolio has not been officially disclosed.

According to Kirk Skaugen, PC Client Group general manager for Intel, reference designs for Skylake will be provided to manufacturers, allowing them to create systems that can take advantage of wireless technologies by tapping into Skylake\’s capabilities. By the end of 2016, Skaugen expects that there will over 300 million WiDi-enabled systems in the market.

This isn\’t the first time that Intel got its hands on telecoms-related patents though. Back in 2012, the company shelled out $375 million to acquire 1,700 patents relating primarily to 802.11, 3G, and LTE technologies from InterDigital.