The Breakdown: Intel buys Mobileye

What's going on?

Big news in the world of autonomous car technology this week as US computer giant Intel announced it will buy Israeli tech firm Mobileye for just over $20 billion.
 
Why the big deal?

Intel makes some of the best brains for cars, while Mobileye is responsible for excellent eyes. Put them together and the result is a company capable of technology that can see and understand its environment - that's vital for road safety.

This partnership is likely to expedite the development of self-driving cars. 

It will also make it easier and cheaper for companies without advanced autonomous vehicle programs to approach Intel and buy their know-how for future models. That's great news for smaller companies such as Mazda or Land Rover who want to take on the likes of Toyota, Ford, the Volkswagen Group and Mercedes-Benz.
 
Who cares?

This is big news for the geeks working on self-driving cars. And for the next-generation of drivers... or non-drivers. 

You've probably heard of Intel, one of the world's largest makers of computer chips which supplies the likes of Dell, Lenovo and HP. While Mobileye isn't a household name, it has worked with brands such as Audi, BMW, Tesla and Volvo to provide vital sensor and computing technology required for active driver assistance and semi-autonomous capabilities.

Say what...

Brian Krzanich, Intel chief executive:
"Intel provides critical foundational technologies for autonomous driving including plotting the car's path and making real-time driving decisions. Mobileye brings the industry's best automotive-grade computer vision and strong momentum with automakers and suppliers. Together, we can accelerate the future of autonomous driving with improved performance in a cloud-to-car solution at a lower cost for automakers."

Ziv Aviram, Mobileye president:
"By pooling together our infrastructure and resources, we can enhance and accelerate our combined know-how in the areas of mapping, virtual driving, simulators, development tool chains, hardware, data centres and high-performance computing platforms. Together, we will provide an attractive value proposition for the automotive industry."

What next?

This development puts Intel on the right track to pursue Nvidia, currently the major player in the computing race for artificial intelligence (and by extension, autonomous vehicles).

Expect increasing levels of self-driving technology to reach local roads soon, particularly in affordable cars such as the Holden Astra or Mini Cooper, currently available with Mobileye sensor tech that lacks the advanced computing offered by Tesla or Mercedes-Benz required to properly interpret what's happening on the road ahead.