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Intel is moving deeper into the growing drone industry, buying German startup Ascending Technologies and its auto-pilot software.
The companies didn’t report terms of their deal, but Intel said it will offer jobs to all 75 Ascending Technologies employees. Numerous company’s products are used in niche markets for visual inspections or 3-D map-making.
Ascending Technologies’ drones have always been a showcase for Intel’s RealSense control technology, earning them kudos at last year’s International CES show.
This is Intel’s 71st acquisition.
In particular, the algorithms developed by the drone maker, combined with Intel’s depth-sensing technology, will help drones avoid obstacles and collisions, Intel wrote.
Intel, Santa Clara, Calif., did not reveal further details about the acquisition in the blog post, including a time frame or cost.
Though Intel doesn’t make any consumer technology itself, the company desperately wants to appeal to innovative companies developing the next generation of gadgets in hopes those entrepreneurs will use Intel chips to run their new devices.
In a blog post, the chip company said the acquisition of the Krailling, Germany-based company lets it “integrate the computing, communications, sensor and cloud technology required to make drones smarter and more connected”. Intel’s CEO Brian Krzanich will be delivering a keynote address at CES on Tuesday, where he is likely to expand on the company’s drone plans. Walden said the Ascending Technologies team would continue supporting their current customers while collaborating with Intel engineers to develop drones that can fly “with more awareness of their environments”.