The deal is expected to close in the later third or early fourth quarter this year. The two companies have not disclosed the transaction cost. Just four months ago, EE Times posted a blog entitled "Will Intel's Drone Chips Fly?" In that blog, referring to Intel's depth sensing technology called RealSense, Remi El-Ouazzane, Movidius CEO called the technology "a world-class, quality depth solution." At that time, El-Ouazzane also told us: "Practically all the chip companies currently in the drone market --Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia and Movidius included--are going after the same target: Autonomous drones."

Intel is making it extra-clear that computer vision hardware will play a big role in its beyond-the-PC strategy. The computing behemoth has just acquired Movidius, a specialist in AI and computer vision processors. It sees Movidius as a way to get high-speed, low-power chips that can power RealSense cameras in devices that need to see and understand the world around them. Movidius has already provided the brains behind gadgets like drones and thermal cameras, many of which are a logical fit for Intel's depth-sensing tech -- and its deals with Google and Lenovo give nothing to sneeze at, either. However, it shows that Intel is increasingly determined to find new avenues to explore now that it can't count on large jumps in processor performance to maintain the bottom line.

Intel is making it extra-clear that computer vision hardware will play a big role in its beyond-the-PC strategy. The computing behemoth has just acquired Movidius, a specialist in AI and computer vision processors. It sees Movidius as a way to get high-speed, low-power chips that can power RealSense cameras in devices that need to see and understand the world around them. Movidius has already provided the brains behind gadgets like drones and thermal cameras, many of which are a logical fit for Intel's depth-sensing tech -- and its deals with Google and Lenovo give nothing to sneeze at, either.