Impinj Acquires Intel's UHF RFID Reader Chip Operation

Leading UHF Gen 2 RFID solutions provider Impinj, Inc. (www.impinj.com) today announced the acquisition of Intel Corporation's RFID Operation. This branch of Intel — created by Intel's New Business Initiatives incubator — developed the award-winning R1000 RFID reader chip. Financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

The acquisition of Intel assets further enhances Impinj's position in the RFID market by adding a proven, high-performance, highly integrated reader radio chip to the Impinj family of UHF Gen 2 RFID products. For developers of UHF RFID readers and reader-modules, the R1000 chip provides superior levels of design flexibility, integrating onto a single chip 90% of the components required for a reader radio. By delivering unprecedented performance, integration, and cost effectiveness to a worldwide customer base, the R1000 chip enables all reader form factors (fixed, mobile, embedded, etc.) in applications across numerous vertical markets, including supply chain management, asset tracking, authentication, and access control.

"This acquisition is a huge step for Impinj, accelerating our drive to deliver the highest performance, most cost effective RFID products available from any vendor anywhere," says William T. Colleran, Ph.D., President and CEO of Impinj. "Adding the R1000 reader chip to Impinj's market-leading portfolio of tag chips and fixed-reader products allows us to deliver exceptional price-performance and enable a new category of customers who are developing their own game-changing products based upon Impinj technology."

"The UHF RFID market is a strong opportunity, and we believe this business and its assets are an optimal fit for Impinj," says Rich Wykoff, General Manager of Intel's New Business Initiatives (NBI) incubator. "Intel's NBI incubator program is practiced at establishing new businesses in emerging markets, and Impinj's acquisition of the RFID Operation demonstrates the incubator's ability to create valued businesses in new technology areas."

"The demand for a highly integrated technology like the R1000 reader chip is growing everyday," says Mike Liard at ABI Research. "The choice for Intel — the world's largest and most recognized chip maker — to work with Impinj is a clear indication of Impinj's role as a frontrunner in the RFID industry."

Indy R1000 Reader Chip Re-branded
The Impinj UHF Gen 2 RFID product line now includes the Indy R1000 reader chip, based on technology acquired from Intel Corporation. Check out a data sheet highlighting the re-branding of the R1000 reader chip. (more)