Intel acquired Linutronix, a company that handles the rt Linux branch

Several days ago Intel disclosed the acquisition of Linutronix, a German company that is responsible for the development of technologies to use Linux in industrial systems.

It should be noted that the purchase of Linutronix reflects Intel's commitment to support the Linux kernel and its associated community. Intel will provide the Linutronix team with more capabilities and resources. Following completion of the transaction, Linutronix will continue to operate as an independent business within Intel's software development division.

Mark Skarpness, Vice President and General Manager of the Systems Software Engineering Team in the Software and Advanced Technology Group Division of Intel, published a publication explaining the reasons for this acquisition.

“This acquisition reflects Intel's commitment to supporting the Linux kernel and the community at large. Software is a growth industry for Intel and we believe that a successful software ecosystem must be open in order to thrive. […] Linutronix shares this belief and Intel's deep commitment to furthering the Linux open source ecosystem.”

» Linutronix will continue to operate as an independent company within our software division, led by Egger and Gleixner. I look forward to working together with the entire Linutronix team to unlock the opportunities in front of us as we pursue our common vision. for a strong open ecosystem based on Linux.

For those unaware of Linutronix, they should know that this is a company that is responsible for supervising the development of the RT branch of the Linux kernel (“Realtime-Preempt”, PREEMPT_RT or “-rt”), focused on use in real-time systems.

While neither Intel nor Linutronix disclosed the financial implications Of their agreement, Skarpness also confirmed that Intel has agreed to continue to support the PREEMPT_RT project, saying it believes it is "a critical piece of technology that will be used in many places."

For its part, Linutronix said about the acquisition:

“We (…) are proud to now be a member of the Intel family. For more than 10 years we have worked together with Intel to make open source software a success." The company will continue as an independent division of Intel in the future. 

Scarpness said the acquisition is Intel's contribution to supporting the Linux kernel and the Linux community in general. In doing so, the corporation "deepens a long-standing relationship with a respected team of world-renowned Linux experts."

Intel has promised that Linutronix will continue to operate as an independent business with a software division.

The CTO of Linutronix is ​​Thomas Gleixner, who has been one of the main maintainers of the Linux kernel for a long time. Among other things, he works on the x86 elements of that kernel, including RT-Preempt. Intel emphasizes that, for the time being, it will continue to see Linutronix as an independent company within Intel's software arm, with Gleixner at the helm.

With the acquisition, Intel says it wants to focus more on Linux development, specifically the kernel.

“Intel believes that a successful software ecosystem must be open in order to grow. Linutronix shares this belief and Intel's willingness to grow the open source Linux ecosystem," the company wrote.

The acquisition of Linutronix enhances Intel's capabilities in the open source space and, above all, allows it to take home highly-skilled staff.

By acquiring Linutronix, we are deepening our long-standing relationship with a highly respected team of world-renowned Linux experts, adding to the remarkable breadth and depth of Intel's hardware and software talent. Linutronix will continue to operate as an independent company within our software division, led by Egger and Gleixner.

I look forward to working together with the entire Linutronix team to unlock the opportunities in front of us as we pursue our common vision of a strong open ecosystem based on Linux.

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