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RFID solutions provider Impinj, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Intel Corporation's RFID operation, along with the R1000 RFID reader chip.

"Last year, Intel unveiled the R1000, an ASIC device that combines 90 percent of the discrete components in a passive UHF RFID reader transceiver on one chip," writes EE Times' Laurie Sullivan. "The R1000 handles the radio communications for EPC Gen 2 RFID tags. It requires less power to function because the discrete components are combined on one chip."

"The chip can be used in a variety of readers, including fixed and mobile, across a variety of vertical markets, including supply chain management, asset tracking, authentication and asset control," notes InformationWeek's Antone Gonsalves.

"Impinj expects that the deal will allow it to address a broader market, namely that of handheld, mobile rfid readers," writes IDG's Nancy Gohring. "That's because the company will be able to sell chips that include most of the functionality required for a reader radio, allowing developers to build small form-factor devices."

More here from Xconomy ... more here from RFID Journal ... more here from The Inquirer ... more here from RFID News ... more here from the Seattle P-I ... more here from RFID Update ... and the press release is here.