Intel is shutting down its RealSense artificial-intelligence vision unit to channel its energies toward its core chip business.
An Intel spokesperson spoke to CRN and said that the company would honor current customer commitments and apply the innovations the division yielded to segment other functions in its core business.
The spokesperson said that Intel is winding down RealSense to transition the computer vision talent, tech, and products to other innovative technologies that better align with the company’s core chip business and IDM 2.0 strategy.
RealSense through the years
The announcement comes two weeks after Sagi Ben Moshe, the head of the RealSense division, said on his LinkedIn that he was leaving Intel.
The division came up in 2015, offering depth and tracking tech that gives machines and devices depth perception capabilities. The technology is used in autonomous drones, robots, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), smart home devices, and more.
Publicly, the technology is well known for its application in VR and AR devices. It was debuted at the Game Developers Conference in 2016. In the same year, Intel acquired mobile vision processor chip maker Movidius Ltd. for its drones and VR headsets development.
What the division delivered
Over the years, the division has been responsible for the debut of the RealSense Lidar Camera L515 in December 2019. In October, Intel announced a software product that streamlines operations of companies using the same camera named DWS.
RealSense made its last significant announcement in January when Intel said it was adding new facial recognition hardware and software to RealSense ID that uses RealSense camera technology to secure environments.
The company’s recent efforts align with what the CEO, Pat Gelsinger, said in March regarding the business’ losses and reduced competitiveness in recent years.
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