Following Qualcomm, Intel Announces 5G Modem For Phones And Self-Driving Cars

Intel doesn't want to get left behind in the next evolution of the mobile business. The chipmaking giant said on Wednesday it's launching a 5G modem chip, codenamed "Goldridge." Intel is emphasizing the modem's applications in areas outside of phones too, such as autonomous vehicles, drones and smart city sensors. "5G will enable billions of'things' to become smart through seamless connectivity, massive computing power and access to rich data and analytics stored at the edge of the cloud," wrote Aicha Evans, the head of Intel's communications and devices group, in a blog post about the 5G modem. Intel is expecting to sample the modem to customers in the second half of 2017 and go into production soon afterwards, an Intel spokeswoman said. Intel isn't the first company to announce a 5G modem.