Intel said it would buy Movidius, a start-up focusing on computer vision technology, in the chip giant’s bid to expand into more specialised products for artificial-intelligence applications.
Movidius, founded nearly 11 years ago in Ireland, raised more than $85 million from venture-capital firms. It has developed algorithms and chips it calls vision-processing units for use in equipment including drones, robots and augmented- and virtual-reality devices.
The company was an early partner with Alphabet’s Google unit in Project Tango, an effort designed to build technology into smartphones to measure and map surrounding objects and interior spaces.
Intel is trying to focus away from the shrinking PC market where sales of microprocessors are its largest source of revenue. The company has announced a series of moves to provide technology for drones, wearable devices and other connected gadgets associated with the Internet of Things.
