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Intel Corporation

Semiconductors and foundry manufacturingFounded 1968
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Acquisitions

Intel Acquisitions

5

Major Deals Covered

$42.6B

Disclosed Deal Value

What are Intel's biggest acquisitions?

Intel's largest disclosed acquisition here is Altera for $16.7B in 2015. This page covers 5 major deals from 2011 to 2020, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.

Major deals covered
5
Largest deal
Altera ($16.7B)
First deal
2011
Most recent
2020
CompanyYearPricePurpose
Mobileye2017$15.3BIntel acquired Mobileye to expand into the autonomous driving and automotive technology market. The company sought to diversify beyond traditional CPU businesses and enter a high-growth sector. Mobileye brought advanced computer vision and driver assistance capabilities that complemented Intel's hardware expertise. The acquisition aligned with long-term trends in artificial intelligence and edge computing.
McAfee2011$7.7BIntel acquired McAfee to add security capabilities that it hoped could be integrated into hardware platforms. The thesis was that security would become a differentiating feature for connected devices, enterprise systems, and future computing platforms.
Altera2015$16.7BIntel acquired Altera to enter field-programmable gate arrays and combine programmable logic with Xeon processors for data-center, networking, and embedded workloads. The deal was meant to diversify Intel's silicon portfolio and capture specialized acceleration demand.
Habana Labs2019$2.0BIntel acquired Habana Labs to strengthen its position in AI training and inference accelerators. Habana's Gaudi architecture offered Intel a path to compete for data-center AI workloads beyond general-purpose CPUs.
Moovit2020$900.0MIntel acquired Moovit to support Mobileye's mobility and autonomous-vehicle ambitions with transit data, routing intelligence, and mobility-service capabilities. The deal was intended to connect driver-assistance technology with broader transportation networks.
What companies has Intel bought?
Major acquisitions by Intel documented here include Altera (2015), Mobileye (2017), McAfee (2011), Habana Labs (2019) and Moovit (2020).
What is Intel's most recent acquisition?
The most recent Intel acquisition documented here is Moovit, in 2020, for $900M.

Moovit

2020

$900M

Why

Intel acquired Moovit to support Mobileye's mobility and autonomous-vehicle ambitions with transit data, routing intelligence, and mobility-service capabilities. The deal was intended to connect driver-assistance technology with broader transportation networks.

Impact

Moovit was folded into Mobileye and adds transit and mobility data to its mapping and robotaxi work.

Outcome

Moovit added useful mapping and mobility data to the Mobileye ecosystem, but it remained adjacent rather than central to Intel's core financial recovery. Its strategic value depends on Mobileye's ability to convert automotive data and driver-assistance relationships into larger autonomous and mobility platforms.

Source →

Habana Labs

2019

$2.0B

Why

Intel acquired Habana Labs to strengthen its position in AI training and inference accelerators. Habana's Gaudi architecture offered Intel a path to compete for data-center AI workloads beyond general-purpose CPUs.

Impact

Habana's Gaudi line gave Intel an AI accelerator product, though sales stayed far below Intel's early targets and Nvidia kept most of the market.

Outcome

Habana became the foundation for Intel's Gaudi accelerator line. The acquisition gave Intel credible AI hardware, but adoption has remained challenging because NVIDIA's software ecosystem and customer momentum are powerful barriers.

Source →

Mobileye

2017

$15.3B

Why

Intel acquired Mobileye to expand into the autonomous driving and automotive technology market. The company sought to diversify beyond traditional CPU businesses and enter a high-growth sector. Mobileye brought advanced computer vision and driver assistance capabilities that complemented Intel's hardware expertise. The acquisition aligned with long-term trends in artificial intelligence and edge computing.

Impact

Mobileye re-listed on Nasdaq in October 2022 with Intel keeping a large majority stake. It supplies EyeQ chips to dozens of automakers and remains Intel's main automotive business.

Outcome

Mobileye remains one of Intel's more coherent acquisitions because it gave the company a real position in production automotive systems rather than a speculative software adjacency. The deal has not solved Intel's core CPU or foundry problems, but it created a separate growth platform with automaker relationships and long product cycles.

Source →

Altera

2015

$16.7B

Why

Intel acquired Altera to enter field-programmable gate arrays and combine programmable logic with Xeon processors for data-center, networking, and embedded workloads. The deal was meant to diversify Intel's silicon portfolio and capture specialized acceleration demand.

Impact

Altera became Intel's programmable solutions group. In September 2025 Intel sold 51% to Silver Lake at an $8.75B valuation and deconsolidated the business, keeping a 49% stake.

Outcome

Altera gave Intel important programmable-logic technology, but the strategic payoff was less transformative than the purchase price implied. The business remained useful in networking and embedded markets, yet it did not prevent NVIDIA and AMD from capturing more of the high-growth accelerator narrative.

Source →

McAfee

2011

$7.7B

Why

Intel acquired McAfee to add security capabilities that it hoped could be integrated into hardware platforms. The thesis was that security would become a differentiating feature for connected devices, enterprise systems, and future computing platforms.

Impact

Intel sold a 51% stake in McAfee to TPG in 2017 at a valuation of about $4.2B, well below the purchase price, and later exited the rest.

Outcome

The acquisition failed to become a meaningful semiconductor advantage. McAfee operated with different economics and culture from Intel's chip business, and Intel later reduced and exited much of the position, making the deal a lasting example of diversification that did not fit the core model.

Source →

Intel Corporation's Growth & Acquisition Strategy

Under Lip-Bu Tan, Intel has cut layers and headcount, slowed some fab projects such as Ohio, and tied foundry spending to committed customer demand. Growth bets for 2026-2027 are Xeon CPUs for AI servers (DCAI revenue rose 59% year over year in Q2 2026), Panther Lake AI PC processors on Intel 18A, advanced packaging for third-party AI chips, custom x86 parts co-developed with Nvidia, and winning external customers for the 14A node.

How Intel Corporation Makes Money

Intel is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM): it designs chips and runs its own fabs in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Ireland, and Israel. Since 2024 it reports two halves. Intel Products (client CPUs, Xeon data-center CPUs, AI accelerators) sells to OEMs, hyperscalers, and enterprises. Intel Foundry manufactures wafers and packages for Intel Products and for external customers, competing with TSMC and Samsung. Intel also owns a majority of Mobileye (ADAS chips) and kept a 49% stake in Altera after selling 51% to Silver Lake in September 2025.

Intel Acquisitions FAQ

What was Intel's landmark acquisition of Mobileye in 2017 for $15.3 billion?

In March 2017, Intel acquired Israeli autonomous driving and computer vision leader Mobileye for $15.3 billion, securing leading market share in automotive Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and robotaxi software.

Why did Intel acquire FPGA leader Altera for $16.7 billion in 2015?

In December 2015, Intel acquired Altera for $16.7 billion to integrate Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) with Xeon server processors, accelerating hardware workloads in telecom 5G networks, aerospace, and defense applications.

What was the acquisition of Habana Labs in 2019 to power Intel Gaudi AI?

In December 2019, Intel acquired Israeli AI processor startup Habana Labs for $2.0 billion. Habana's Gaudi deep learning architecture became the foundational engine for Intel Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 AI accelerators.

Why did Intel acquire cybersecurity leader McAfee for $7.7 billion in 2010?

In 2010, Intel acquired McAfee for $7.7 billion to embed hardware-level cybersecurity protections directly into microprocessor silicon, later spinning off McAfee as an independent cybersecurity entity in 2016.

What happened to Intel's proposed $5.4 billion acquisition of Tower Semiconductor in 2022 to 2023?

In February 2022, Intel agreed to acquire Israeli specialty analog foundry Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 billion. However, the transaction was terminated in August 2023 after Chinese regulatory antitrust authorities failed to grant approval before the contract deadline.

How did the acquisition of Barefoot Networks in 2019 advance Intel's ethernet networking silicon?

In 2019, Intel acquired Barefoot Networks, integrating its programmable Tofino Ethernet switch chips and P4 networking software to lead high-speed datacenter switching and disaggregated cloud networking.

Why did Intel sell its NAND flash memory business to SK Hynix for $9 billion?

In 2020, Intel agreed to sell its commodity NAND memory chip business and Dalian fabrication plant to South Korea's SK Hynix for $9.0 billion (forming Solidigm), allowing Intel to divest commodity memory and focus capital on core logic fabs.

What is Intel's current strategic M&A and asset monetization strategy?

Intel focuses M&A on strategic semiconductor packaging and EDA software bolt-ons, while actively monetizing non-core assets (Mobileye equity sales, Altera spin-off, SCIP fab joint ventures) to fund mega-fab capital expenditures.

What companies has Intel acquired?

Intel has executed massive, highly questionable acquisitions to escape the dying PC market. In 2010, they inexplicably bought McAfee (cybersecurity) for $7.6B, later spinning it out at a massive loss. In 2015, they bought Altera (FPGAs) for $16.7B. In 2017, they executed a massive $15.3B acquisition of Mobileye (autonomous driving), which successfully IPO'd later, generating massive value.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.