14 DAY TRIAL // People may be tempted to think Intel is interested in superior audio hardware now that it has made a deal with Creative, but it turns out that is not what it is about.
As it happens, while Creative does focus a lot of its resources on high-quality audio cards, speakers and other audio products and technologies, its subsidiary ZiiLABS does not.
In fact, ZiiLABS owns patents and technologies related to high performance graphics processing units.
It is this patent portfolio that Intel has negotiated access to. While it will not gain ownership of it, it will be allowed to use the IP as it sees fit, for a time.
The deal is valued at $50 million, or 39 million Euro. Out of those, $20 million / 15.6 million Euro will be spent on the licensing deal itself, while $30 / 23 million Euro will enable the transfer of certain engineering resources and assets in the UK subsidiary to Intel.
The transaction will be completed by the end of the year (2012).