Intel bought the company behind the famous Killer brand of Wi-Fi products found in laptops from Alienware, Dell, Lenovo, HP and more. Rivet Networks, previously acquired by Qualcomm in 2011, makes network interface cards (NICs) for gamers and performance users. Its technology has gaming-focused features like minimizing latency and maximizing Wi-Fi bandwidth by prioritizing network traffic for the apps that need it most. Intel confirmed Wednesday that Rivet Networks' portfolio of Ethernet controllers, wireless chips and management software will join Wireless Solutions Group, a subset of its client's IT division. The chipmaker has announced plans to integrate the Killer brand into its broader portfolio of WiFi-enabled PCs, as well as license Rivet Networks' software to customers. "We are committed to enabling our customers to deliver the best PC experiences, especially as we have become more reliant on technology," Chris Walker, vice president and general manager of the Intel Mobile Mobile Platforms Group, said in the announcement. “We know how important connectivity is to enrich our lives. We will keep you posted on our progress and hope that the Rivet Networks team will be part of the Intel family, developing technologies that are important to you.
wise move
Intel's latest acquisition makes sense. Rivet Networks has not only been a competitor to Intel in the NIC space for over a decade, but as Anandtech reports, the two companies have teamed up to develop the Killer Wireless-AC 1550 network card. The Intel combination -Killer can be seen on recent laptops such as the new Dell XPS 17, which has a Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 module built into an Intel chipset. Intel hasn't said how much it paid for the company, or when we'll see the first fruits of the acquisition. However, we're likely to see a bloated Intel NIC appear in laptops in the near future, further positioning the company as the go-to brand for gaming hardware; The company's flagship Intel Core 9 10900K processor continues to outperform AMD Ryzen in single-core performance.- Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi 6