Intel has agreed to sell some of its telecom server platform product lines, teams, and inventory to long-time partner RadiSys. The nearly $32 million deal encompasses ATCA, cPCI, and legacy products, but not carrier-grade rack-mounted servers nor actual processors and other… silicon components.

(Click for larger view of Intel's NetStructure ATCA blade)

The deal surprises, given Intel's historic role in originating, driving, and promoting the AdvancedTCA (ATCA) standard. Along with Carrier Grade Linux, ATCA is seen as a cornerstone standard for making telecommunications infrastructure equipment more interoperable between vendors, more scalable, more maintainable, and less expensive.

Despite having ditched its mobile phone processor line a little more than a year ago, however, Intel will continue to serve the telecom infrastructure market with silicon-level products, it said.

RadiSys will pay $25 million for the products, plus $6.75 million for inventory and “other considerations,” Intel said. A “significant number” of Intel employees will be offered work at RadiSys, the companies said, including those in engineering, testing/validation, operations, and marketing.

Specific products associated with the sale include ATCA compute and packet processing blades, ATCA chassis, and chassis management hardware and software modules, AMC (advanced mezzanine card) modules and cPCI blades, cPCI chassis, and “other legacy systems products.”

Scott Grout, RadiSys CEO, stated, “The addition of the Intel modular communication assets to our award winning Promentum product family [story] helps us accelerate our ATCA product strategy, broadens our customer base, and expands our addressable market.”

Doug Davis, GM of Intel's embedded and communications group, added, “Intel is sharpening its focus on communications and embedded market segments that are aligned with our core businesses. We will collaborate closely with RadiSys to ensure that customers have complete and competitive Intel Architecture-based solutions.”

Radisys employs 700, and has annual revenues of $292 million, according to Wright Reports. Its flagship Promentum ATCA server line is supported by Wind River Linux, MontaVista Linux, and OpenClovis middleware.

 
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