Intel acquires Italy’s Yogitech for autonomous cars, IoT

Semiconductor giant Intel has acquired small Italian firm Yogitech SpA that works on functional safety for semiconductors used in internet of things, a move which would help Intel make sure its own products are fault-free in its quest to firmly establish its market leadership in semiconductors.

Intel, which is expanding it's the internet of things horizons through this acquisition, said the acquisition of the Italian startup will help it beef up self-driving car safety.

Yogitech designs systems to ensure the functional safety of semiconductors used in the automotive industry.

Functional safety is important for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) used to enhance the safety of transportation and factory systems. One of the fastest-growing segments in automotive electronics, ADAS makes features like assisted parking possible and paves the way for fully autonomous vehicles in the not-so-distant future.

''As IT systems increasingly merge with operational systems in buildings, factories, vehicles (and more), functional safety is becoming important for a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT) market opportunities,'' Intel stated in a blog post.

Intel estimates that 30 per cent of the IoT market segment will require functional safety by 2020.

Yogotech SpA, is an expert in semiconductor functional safety and related standards. With the acquisition, the talent pool of Yogitech will soon join Intel's Internet of Things Group.

''This acquisition furthers our efforts to win in ADAS, robotics and autonomous machines for market segments like automotive, industrial and other IoT systems that require functional safety and high performance.

''For years, Intel has been providing high-performance IoT systems that allow people and businesses to make better-informed decisions. The industry is now moving from automating data to inform better decisions, to automating actions informed by real-time data. You can see this evolution in the autonomous vehicle prototypes that nearly all have Intel inside,'' Intel stated in its blog post.

''We're excited to welcome the Yogitech team to Intel. While we're not ready to share product roadmap details yet, this team and technology will take our autonomous systems efforts to the next level,'' Ken Caviasca, vice president and general manager of platform engineering and development in the Internet of Things (IoT) Group at Intel Corporation, stated.