This morning, Intel gave an indication of how it plans to continue development in 5G technology after it shut down earlier internal efforts and allowed Apple to absorb their remains. In today’s announcement, Intel said it is partnering with MediaTek in “the development, certification and support of 5G modem solutions for the next generation of PC experiences.” Apple, which switched earlier this year to Qualcomm’s 5G modems, had been Intel’s most important customer. MediaTek is one of Qualcomm’s principal rivals in modem technology.
It’s been something like five years since I had a close look at Intel. Somewhere early in the regime of former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Krzanich, my lines went dead. Other industry analysts reported around then that they weren’t on the good list anymore, either. Then, recently, the new analyst relations team called me up and said it wanted to reengage. The simple explanation is that Krzanich didn’t believe in analysts, and his successor, Bob Swan, does. Thus, last week, the company hosted a two-day event for a group of us at its headquarters campus in Santa Clara, CA.
In his initial remarks at the conference, Swan explained that future growth for Intel would come from 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and something he called “mobility as a service” (shorthand: robotaxi). I had been wondering about the 5G part, and even the IoT part…
