Intel Buys Self-Driving Tech Firm MobilEye for $15.3 BillionAfter falling out with Tesla, MobilEye has been working with Intel on autonomous tech.
BySteve Dent•
This story originally appeared onEngadget
Intel'srecent workwith MobilEye on self-driving cars must have gone well, because the chip giant is buying its Jerusalem-based partner for $15.3 billion.
The deal was first reported by Israeli business siteThe Markerbut has now been confirmed by the two companies. MobilEye is one of the largest players in autonomous vehicle tech and was in the news recently over a spat with Tesla following a fatalModel S crashin Florida. However, it recently teamed with Intel on BMW's iNext self-driving platform, which the automaker aims to put into service by 2021.
他们正在努力的技术不仅仅是BMW vehicles, though. The idea is to build a "scalable architecture" that can be used by any automaker, especially if they don't want to build their own tech from scratch. As such, it could become a huge business for MobilEye, which may help explain the huge acquisition price. The deal is one of the largest acquisitions of an Israeli-based tech company ever.
Despite a recentPC renaissancethanks to Microsoft's Surface and other devices, desktops are still losing ground to mobile devices. That has affected Intel's bottom line while benefiting companies like Qualcomm, which makes the chips used in many smartphones and tablets. The situation has forced Intel into other areas like wearables, connected homes and "internet of things" devices, none of which hasexactly taken offyet.
BREAKING: Intel to acquire Mobileye for $63.54 per share in cash, or about $15.3 billion.$INTC$MBLY
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Autonomous cars, on the other hand, are one of the hottest things in tech, with virtually every automaker, tech company and even peripheral firms like Uber and Lyft working on (andfighting about) them. Even if fully autonomous cars don't work out as planned (some critics think it's a distantpipe dream), autopilot tech that aids drivers andprevents accidentsisavailable nowon Tesla EVs and other cars. Ironically, MobilEye's early success was due in large part to Tesla, and that partnershipdissolvedin a not-very-friendly way.
