Intel buys software company to exploit parallel programming
Intel has bought software company RapidMind in an attempt to speed up development of programs that exploit the power of Intel's multicore processors.
The chip maker plans to integrate RapidMind's data-parallelism products into Intel offerings. Intel already offers compilers, middleware and other tools that enable programmers to execute tasks across multiple threads and cores.
RapidMind offers a platform that allows developers to scale application performance in processors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. The platform also taps into the power of multiple cores in graphics processing units. Intel declined to comment about the acquisition price, but said it plans to retain much of RapidMind's staff.
