Chip Manufacturer Attracted By Similar Firms
Reinforcing San Diego’s status as a center for wireless technology, Intel Corp. opened its newest division here aimed at researching and designing wireless network computer systems.
The Santa Clara-based semiconductor chip manufacturer said it selected San Diego for the new division because of the concentration of similar wireless firms doing business here, and other reasons.
“San Diego has become the location of choice for wireless engineering in the United States,” said Michael Jacobson, an Intel spokesman.
Jacobson listed the area’s high quality of life, and its developed business and educational infrastructure that support the type of skilled staff the division needs as other reasons for the decision.
The unit already has about 10 engineers at the site in Rancho Bernardo but will eventually expand to about 100 engineers plus a support staff, Jacobson said.
– Local Staff Enlarged
By Recent Acquisitions
Intel’s current presence here is about 250 people, the combined head count of three firms that were purchased over the past year. These include IPivot, a Poway-based R & D; firm, acquired for about $500 million; and two other development companies, XLNT Design, and DSP Communications.
Those units are also expected to grow and should boost the firm’s total employment over the next few years to about 500, said Scott McLaughlin, an Intel spokesman at its Hillsboro, Ore., location.
The San Diego division is actually a joint venture effort between Intel and Symbol Technologies Inc., a San Jose firm in which Intel invested $100 million earlier this year, McLaughlin said.
Intel, long known as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of semiconductor chips, has been developing wireless network systems for nine years, he said.
– Wireless System
Offers Flexibility
The products allow computer networks to communicate with each other without wires or fiber-optic cable. In addition to boosting the speed for a PC network, the new systems provide more flexibility and are cheaper because they do not depend on installing fiber-optic wires into buildings, McLaughlin said.
The products can also be used by businesses in already wired buildings, allowing users more freedom to move to other rooms or outside a building without a physical connection to the network.
“With the wireless systems you can take your laptop to a conference room, the cafeteria or go outside a building if it’s a nice day. As long as you’re within range of the network (about 300 feet) you can do all those things,” McLauglin said.
Intel already has two types of wireless network products that are used together: a wireless hub access point that retails for about $1,000, and a PC card that would be inserted into the laptop that costs about $200.
