Intel has acquired a Finnish company called Siru Innovations to strengthen its push into dedicated graphics.
“Siru adds critical GPU talent that will support Intel’s pursuit of leadership graphics IP (intellectual property),” says Intel Vice President Balaji Kanigicherla.
Siru Innovations isn’t a major name in computer graphics. But as The Register notes, one of the company’s co-founders, Mika Tuomi, was a member of Future Crew, which created innovative PC graphics demos back in the 1980s and 1990s.
Tuomi went on to found BitBoys, which in 1999 announced the Glaze 3D, a powerful desktop GPU for its time. But the product ended up as vaporware. BitBoys then turned its focus on mobile graphics before it was acquired by ATI Technologies, which was later bought by AMD. In 2009, the team at BitBoys also ended up working at Qualcomm after AMD sold its handset division to the mobile chip company.
Tuomi and former BitBoys employee Mikko Alho then went on to found Siru Innovations in 2011. The company advertises itself as a developer of its own “low-power Graphics IP core,” and a provider of services for mobile graphics.
“Since our founding in 2011, we’ve built an incredible platform that develops proprietary technology and has become a trusted partner for the graphics industry,” Alho added in a LinkedIn post. “Joining Intel is a testament to our team’s deep expertise in customizing GPU IP throughout the full design lifecycle.”
The head of Intel’s graphics division, Raja Koduri — a former AMD executive— also chimed in and told Alho: “Exciting to be able to work with you again.”
According to Kanigicherla, Intel plans on using the acquisition to help the company create custom chips and computer systems “in the areas of blockchain, metaverse, high performance edge compute and hyperscale (computing).”
So you can expect the graphics technology to power enterprise services devoted to cryptocurrency mining, data centers, and virtual reality. The acquisition also occurs as Intel plans on launching its first desktop graphics card in over 20 years later this quarter. Intel’s goal is to compete toe-to-toe with Nvidia and AMD by releasing numerous desktop and dedicated laptop GPUs in the coming years.
