Intel buys Infineon for $1.4B

Intel announced it will acquire Infineon Technologies' wireless division for $1.4 billion.

The acquisition, rumored for several weeks, is expected to help the computer chip giant compete in the smartphone market and make a run for the lead in the LTE baseband market. Intel is keen on getting chips into mobile devices as they outpace traditional CPUs that go into PCs. So far, Intel's low-power Atom chips have struggled to make their way into smartphones. Now it should have the resources to take on dominant player Qualcomm in the LTE baseband market.

Infineon's Wireless Solutions division makes 3G chips and baseband processors that are used in Apple's iPhone and the iPad, and Samsung's Galaxy S.

Landis+Gyr Announces Software Reseller Agreement with Grid Net

Landis+Gyr Announces Software Reseller Agreement with Grid Net
Grid Net Smart Grid Eco-system continues to grow with the addition of Landis+Gyr

Sydney, Australia and San Francisco, California — August 30, 2010 — Landis+Gyr, a global leader in energy management and advanced metering technology, today announced the signing of a software reseller agreement with Grid Net™, a leading global real-time, all-IP Smart Grid and Smart Home software platforms provider.

Under this agreement, Landis+Gyr will offer Grid Net’s PolicyNet SmartGrid NMS™ and SmartNOS™ software platforms, and PolicyNet SmartAgents™ as key software components of its open standards based, highly secure, Smart Grid Solution to Australian and New Zealand utility customers, with a worldwide distribution option.

The agreement includes Grid Net’s PolicyNet SmartGrid Network Management System™ (NMS) together with the Smart Network Operating System™ (SmartNOS) and PolicyNet SmartAgent™ firmware, which runs embedded on Landis+Gyr smart meter devices.

Steve Jeston, CEO of Landis+Gyr Australasia, said, “Signing this agreement with Grid Net is yet another significant next step in our delivery of open standards-based smart grid platform options to our customers. Adding Grid Net software to our suite of offerings further positions Landis+Gyr as one of the most scalable, open, secure and cost-effective solution providers in the region supporting 4G/WiMAX and other IP-based networks such as fibre to the home. We are proud to be contributing to a stronger Australia by bringing global and local expertise to important smart grid infrastructure projects, and I am excited about the prospect of announcing further ground-breaking projects using our many solutions in the near future.”

Ray Bell, Founder and CEO of Grid Net, said, “We are very excited about Landis+Gyr becoming our strategic partner and a reseller of our software products in the rapidly growing Australian and New Zealand market. Today’s emerging Smart Grid v2.0 deployments will generate a vast amount of energy distribution and consumption data, and will require a real-time, reliable, secure, open standards-based, carrier-grade communications infrastructure that enables utilities to deploy smart grids that optimize energy distribution, reduce distribution related losses, implement system-wide demand response programs, enhance overall customer satisfaction, and lower their carbon footprint. This agreement allows both firms to reinforce our leadership roles in delivering the future smart grid today.”

U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing

The 'Easy Button'

Carvallo jokes about the so-called "Easy Button" at Austin Energy. It's not really a big red button on the wall, but it is a mechanism that allows an operator to control tens of thousands of home thermostats.

"Austin is two to three years ahead of everybody else," said Carvallo, now chief strategy officer for the smart grid software firm Grid Net.

He points to a volunteer program that offers free thermostats to customers who allow the utility to remotely control their air conditioners during specific months and hours. This way, thousands of power-gulping air conditioners can be cycled off for a short time when electricity was needed elsewhere.

By summer's end, Austin expects to begin enabling its 700,000 streetlights to be turned "on and off with a flip of a switch," saving $340,000 in electricity each year, and eliminating 200 tons of carbon dioxide air pollution.

Replacing old-style electric meters with "smart meters" is often described as the first step in creating a smart grid. All 400,000 of Austin's meters are smart meters.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/09/smart.grid/#fbid=CvSJX9xl_92&wom=false