Intel is in talks to sell its connected home unit to MaxLinear, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
No final decision has been made, and Intel could keep the connected home division, the report said. It’s not clear how much the potential deal is worth. Intel declined to comment.
The sale is part of a wide exercise at the chipmaker to narrow its footprint to areas where it's competitive. The company sold its smartphone modem business to Apple last year. It's also pointed to the money-losing memory business as an area where the company might look for a partnership.
Intel’s connected home business makes chips that enable Wi-Fi and manage data traffic for consumers. The chips provide wireless connections in home routers and gateways. Competitors include Broadcom and Qualcomm.
Intel has also shopped its home connectivity unit to others, including Qualcomm and MediaTek, industry sources told Light Reading. The company already collaborates with Maxlinear, pairing its Docsis chipsets with MaxLinear's front-end silicon.
