Intel buys eASIC

Intel is to buy eASIC, the 19 year-old Santa Clara structured ASIC specialist.

Intel already had a structured ASIC capability with its HardCopy product line acquired with its purchase of Altera..

Intel didn’t say why it wants eASIC. It does, however, remove a competitor. 120 eASIC people will move over to the Intel programmable solutions group.

“We can provide a low-cost, automated conversion process from FPGAs (including competing FPGAs) to structured ASICs,” says Intel vp Dan MacNamara.

“Longer term, we see an opportunity to architect a new class of programmable chip that takes advantage of Intel’s Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge technology to combine Intel FPGAs with structured ASICs in a system in package solution.”

eASIC’s chips are fabbed by TSMC and GloFo. MacNamara said it hadn’t been decided whether Intel would fab future eASIC ICs.

Intel says it expects to complete the acquisition in the third quarter of 2018 after customary closing conditions are met.


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