Intel buys computer vision specialist Movidius to boost its robotics and VR capabilities

Latest acquisition continues Intel's move away from the data centre

Intel is to acquire chipmaker Movidius, a startup focused on computer vision and virtual reality (VR). The company intends that the acquisition will boost its RealSense platform, the cornerstone of its consumer-oriented human-computer interaction activities.

RealSense enables functionality such as facial recognition, hand and finger tracking (gestures), speech recognition and augmented reality (AR), and a few of its capabilities are already already used in the cameras of laptops and tablets by Acer, Lenovo, HP Dell and Asus.

In a blog post senior vice president and general manager of Intel's New Technology Group, Josh Walden, explains the company's rationale.

"As devices become smarter and more distributed, we recognise that specific system on a chip (SoC) attributes will be paramount to giving human-like sight to the 50 billion connected devices that are projected by 2020," he writes.

"With Movidius, Intel gains low-power, high-performance SoC platforms for accelerating computer vision applications. Additionally, this acquisition brings algorithms tuned for deep learning, depth processing, navigation and mapping, and natural interactions, as well as broad expertise in embedded computer vision and machine intelligence. Movidius' technology optimises, enhances and brings RealSense capabilities to fruition."

California-based Movidius launched in 2008 and has about about 180 employees. It specialises in low-power chip design for computer vision - essentially allowing machines to perceive and navigate the physical world using camera as eyes - and machine intelligence algorithms.

Commenting on the deal CEO Reml El-Ouazzane said:

"Our leading VPU (Vision Processing Unit) platform for on-device vision processing combined with Intel's industry leading depth sensing solution (Intel RealSense Technology) is a winning combination for autonomous machines that can see in 3D, understand their surroundings and navigate accordingly. Today, we're working with customers like DJI, FLIR, Google and Lenovo to give sight to smart devices including drones, security cameras, AR/VR headsets and more. But today's smart devices, while compelling, offer just a glimpse of what's to come."

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

Intel has been seeking to move away from its core business of chipsets for PCs and servers into new territory defined by robotics and AI. In August the firm announced the acquisition of AI start-Nervana Systems, a startup working on a fully optimised software and hardware stack for deep learning, in a $400m deal.