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Intel just spent $50 million to acquire ZiiLABS' 100-core Android processor tech from Creative

Intel just spent $50 million to acquire ZiiLABS' 100-core Android processor tech from Creative

Posted: 26 Nov 2012, 05:55, by Daniel P.

Categories: Android Android Processors Processors

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Intel just spent $50 million to acquire ZiiLABS' 100-core Android processor tech from Creative

Intel has been strongarmed by ARM Holdings, the British RISC processor architecture company that is behind the design of CPUs and GPUs currently delivering the performance of our smartphones and tablets on a fraction of Intel processors' power consumption.

The chip giant knows it missed the boat so far, and is aiming to quickly catch up. CEO Paul Otellini already announced retirement plans, which many argue had to do with the new mobile realities that Intel is completely missing out on, and now Intel is buying ARM-based designs outright.

The company just spent $50 million in total to acquire engineers, assets an intellectual property from ZiiLABS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative, the guys behind the famous SoundBlaster cards of recent memory.

The interesting thing about ZiiLABS is that they are an ARM licensee, and have a ZMX-40 creation based on a 1.5 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU for Android, like the one we have in the Snapdragon S4 Pro, but combined with 96 of ZiiLABS' patented StemCell media processing cores. The company went as far as calling a 100-core mobile processor earlier this year when introduced, and the chip design was fully optimized with Android 4.0 ICS in mind at the time.

This 96-core GPU tech is what Intel is apparently interested in, and we fully expect the move to boost Chipzilla's mobile processors in the graphics department going forward, so the next edition of Motorola RAZR i might shape up to be pretty interesting.

source: ZiiLABS via AndroidAuthority

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1. TROLL posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:09 1 2

Daniel.P $50, wasn't that a mistake?
Why did they not buy it....?
This amount of CPU and GPU, I believe would be used in what...?

3. Nathan_ingx posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:39 4 0

"The company just spent $50 in total to acquire engineers.." off course a mistake. The answer lies there up in the headline.
By the way, i didn't know Creative had this kind of industry with them...nice.

4. Daniel.P posted on 26 Nov 2012, 08:12 0 0

Fixed, thx

7. Nadr1212 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 20:52 0 0

Why don't you just call me a chicken and ask me which came first: the chicken or The egg!!!!!!!!!!

9. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:50 2 0

tethat is a stupid question... its the chicken... why do you think God created adam as a fetus? he created him as a man!

why chicken? easy, do you think the egg will hatch if the chicken wont sit on it?!

This comment is posted in response to #7 Show

This comment is posted in response to #7 Hide

11. bipinm posted on 27 Nov 2012, 01:02 0 0

hihihi...
"do you think the egg will hatch if the chicken wont sit on it?!"....That solves the problem....

I liked that answer...

This comment is posted in response to #9 Show

This comment is posted in response to #9 Hide

2. Thephonegeek posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:24 2 3

96core GPU. Go home Intel, you are drunk.

5. prokshit posted on 26 Nov 2012, 13:59 0 0

Daniel.P.. Snapdragon S4 Pro is Cortex A15 based not A9 based..Correction PLZ

8. rdeleonp posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:06 0 0

Nope:

goo.gl/wkYGj

10. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:54 0 0

i dont think its a a15 base chip.. coz qualcomm is making its own SoC base on a9! and it has its own GPU the adreno... its not using the GPU like mali-400 that the exynos is using... qualcomm's snapdragon is like apple Axx chips!

6. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 18:55 0 0

go intel!!!

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Intel just spent $50 million to acquire ZiiLABS' 100-core Android processor tech from Creative

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11 Comments Follow Following

1. TROLL posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:09 1 2

3. Nathan_ingx posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:39 4 0

4. Daniel.P posted on 26 Nov 2012, 08:12 0 0

7. Nadr1212 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 20:52 0 0

9. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:50 2 0

11. bipinm posted on 27 Nov 2012, 01:02 0 0

2. Thephonegeek posted on 26 Nov 2012, 07:24 2 3

5. prokshit posted on 26 Nov 2012, 13:59 0 0

8. rdeleonp posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:06 0 0

10. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 21:54 0 0

6. MC1123 posted on 26 Nov 2012, 18:55 0 0

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