Intel Acquires Mindspeed for Wireless Infrastructure

Intel acquires wireless assets from Mindspeed Technologies, Cisco and Ontario plan a $4 billion investment over 10 years for job growth, and Mellanox and Dell collaborate to integrate network cards into PowerEdge servers.

Intel acquires Mindspeed wireless infrastructure division. Intel (INTC) announced a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of the wireless infrastructure division of Mindspeed Technologies. Intel said the team and technology it is acquiring will make important contributions to how Intel Architecture-based solutions for wireless access within mobile network infrastructure. Mindspeed (MSPD) provides network infrastructure semiconductor solutions and recently announced a merger agreement with M/A-COM Technology Solution Holdings (MACOM). Speaking to the convergence of IT and communications technologies Intel's GM of Communications Infrastructure Division Rose Schooler said "the scalability, flexibility and operating expenses of 'classic' data centers have become a role model for carrier network operators looking to improve their economic profile. IT technologies and approaches are increasingly being used throughout telecom infrastructure used to manage our phone calls, provide wireless access, route traffic, and enable internet surfing on mobile devices using 3G or 4G."

Cisco and Ontario plan job creation initiatives.  Cisco (CSCO) and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a 10 year agreement that focuses on adding up to 1,700 high tech jobs with a focus on research and development within the first six years. The agreement also includes a framework with the potential to grow Cisco’s total Ontario employee footprint up to 5,000 by 2024, reflecting a potential total investment of up to $4 billion, including $2.2 billion in salaries alone.  The Province of Ontario will provide up to $220 million in support of the total initiative. This new initiative builds upon Cisco’s growing presence in Ontario, including investments in university chairs, planning for a new and expanded Toronto headquarters, the Pan Am Games technology infrastructure sponsorship, and Smart + Connected community initiatives. "Today marks a significant milestone for Cisco Canada and Province of Ontario," said Nitin Kawale, President, Cisco Canada. "This announcement builds on our existing partnership and our mutual commitment to drive productivity and create new economic opportunities through innovation. Together with the Province we will create, high value jobs that will stimulate the economy. This initiative will also ensure that Ontario continues to be a leader in the information and communications technology industry, with a vast talent pool representing the country’s next generation of innovation.”

Mellanox and Dell collaborate.  Mellanox (MLNX)  announced that its dual port ConnectX-3 10/40GbE Network Interface Cards (NICs) are now fully compatible with qualified Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell networking solutions. Mellanox 10/40GbE NICs have backwards compatibility with 10GbE and support RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE). “Customers deploying Dell solutions with Mellanox dual port 10/40GbE benefit from our industry-leading performance and efficiency combined with the power of Dell’s server and networking solutions,” said Chuck Tybur, vice president global accounts and Americas OEM sales at Mellanox Technologies. “This combination results in a high performance solution with low total cost of ownership in power efficiency, system scaling efficiency and compute density.”