Intel acquires NetSpeed Systems to speed up SoC development

Intel has just made a move that shows its increasing focus on the SoC market. By acquiring San Jose-based NetSpeed Systems, the US tech giant hopes to increase its efficiency when designing, developing, and testing new SoCs.

According to Jim Keller, senior vice president and general manager of the Silicon Engineering Group at Intel, "Intel is designing more products with more specialized features than ever before, which is incredibly exciting for Intel architects and for our customers. The challenge is synthesizing a broader set of IP blocks for optimal performance while reining in design time and cost. NetSpeed’s proven network-on-chip technology addresses this challenge, and we’re excited to now have their IP and expertise in-house."

As usual in such cases, Intel and NetSpeed Systems worked together in the past, so the acquisition simply comes to bring the team of the latter closer to Intel's core. In this case, the team of NetSpeed Systems has joined the Silicon Engineering Group at Intel. Once the existing contracts will be honored, NetSpeed will become an internal Intel asset and the brand name will probably disappear. However, it might take a while for this to happen.

Do you think that such acquisitions are healthy for the tech landscape overall or that smaller companies should keep their independence and continue to work with the big names without joining — and eventually being completely absorbed — them? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments.