This Monday, Intel announced the acquisition of Ascending Technologies, also known simply as AscTec, a German company based in Krailing that produces autopiloted drones. The terms of the agreement not disclosed but in August 2015 Intel invested 60 million dollars in the Chinese aircraft company Yuneec International, which also produces drones. The acquisition of AscTec represents the culmination of a partnership between the two companies that began in 2015.
Intel’s strategy is very clear with its various deals made to expand into the field of drones, which in recent years is growing very fast. In 2015, at CES in Las Vegas Intel CEO Brian Krzanich (photo ©AP Photo/Intel Corporation, Bob Riha, Jr.) showed AscTec’s drone Firefly, which uses Intel RealSense technology to detect and avoid obstacles using six RealSense cameras.
Evidently the collaboration between Intel and AscTec was considered satisfactory because the microprocessor giant has decided to buy the small German company. In fact, the 75 AscTec employees will be offered to go to work for Intel while often an acquisition is followed by layoffs.
With the acquisition of AscTec, Intel intends to accelerate the development of drones with its RealSense technology. In a time when big retailers such as Amazon are working to start shipping goods by autopiloted drones and in the USA there are many discussions on how to regulate these vehicles, Intel’s timing is perfect.
Drone development could be the next area where a commercial and technological war will be fought. One of the biggest rivals of Intel, Qualcomm, has already presented its Snapdragon Flight platform proving that drones are becoming more and more sophisticated and autonomous.
Intel’s aggressiveness in its deal in the drone market is understandable if you think about its huge growth but also remembering that in the recent past the company didn’t move in time when it was the moment to enter the market of mobile devices. The dominator in the area of PC CPUs was left behind and the PC market is shrinking. Certainly in the drone market things will be different.
Ascending Technologies created a video in which its Falcon 8 drone draws the word “happy to join” and the Intel logo to greet the deal.
