Analysis: Intel eyes embedded apps with Wind River deal

Bolaji Ojo, EE Times
(06/04/2009 1:04 PM EDT)

PHILADELPHIA — Intel Corp. was treading lightly on Thursday (June 4), eschewing the standard conference call with analysts after announcing its acquisition of Wind River Systems Inc. Still, there will undoubtedly be fallout from the semiconductor industry juggernaut's move in markets well beyond its traditional PC and server segments.

While the $844 million purchase of Wind River made barely a dent on Intel's $10.6 billion cash hoard—as of the end of the March quarter—the implications are enormous, not just for Intel but also for its customers.

The Wind River transaction, if it plays out as Intel hopes, will affect Intel's current and potential chip rivals as well as software vendors and OEMs in fields far removed from the computing sector, including aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, medical and mobile communications.

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