What you need to know
- Intel announced the acquisition of Rivet Networks today.
- Rivet Networks is the company behind the "Killer" brand of networking cards and products.
- The Killer brand and Rivets networking products will be integrated into Intel's Wi-Fi portfolio.
Intel gave its networking prowess a boost today with the acquisition of Rivet Networks, the company behind the gaming-centric Killer brand of networking interfaces and products. With the acquisition, Intel says it will integrate Rivet Networks' networking portfolio, including the Killer brand, with its own Wi-Fi portfolio.
"Rivet Networks is a terrific complement to our existing Wi-Fi products and helps us further our vision of delivering PC platforms that power every person's greatest contribution," Intel CVP Chris Walker said in a post announcing the acquisition. "Rivet Networks' products deliver speed, intelligence and control for gamers and performance users."
This is the latest push in a relationship between Intel and Rivet Networks that has only been growing closer in recent years. In April, the two companies announced that they were teaming up to bring Killer's Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 card to PCs. We've already seen that partnership bear fruit with the card popping up in some of the latest PCs from Dell and others.
As part of the acquisition, Intel says that the Rivet Networks team will join Intel's Wireless Solutions Group. Further, the Killer brand and the rest of Rivet's "key products" will join Intel's Wi-Fi portfolio. As for Rivet Networks' software solutions, Intel says it will license software out to other companies and "develop new solutions for broader PC connectivity enhancement."
The acquisition should prove to be a boost to Intel's own networking chops, especially with Rivet Networks' experience in building tools to optimize network connections. However, it could also be a potential blow to AMD depending on how tight of a grip Intel keeps on Killer's networking tech.
