Intel Corporation on Thursday announced that it would purchase Wind River Systems for approximately $884 million USD in a gamble to put more of its microprocessors in mobile and wireless products.

Intel’s purchase values Wind River at 44 percent more than their $11.50 share price at the time of the deal’s close.

Wind River Systems is responsible for making embedded operating systems for companies like Boeing and Sony.

Analysts are not surprised by the move, noting that Intel’s aspirations to move their low-wattage CPUs into new markets requires code that Wind River Systems has provided in the purchase.

The Wind River acquisition is the first major purchase made by the firm since 2005 and signals an effort to move product in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Yesterday Autodesk announced that it was to acquire Avid’s Softimage. This news has rocked the 3D animation industry to its core. The merger brings two of the biggest competing 3D animation solutions (Autodesk’s Maya and Softimage|XSI) together under one roof. The $35 million deal would give Autodesk control of almost all of Softimage’s assets.

In a press release issued by Autodesk on Thursday the company will continue to develop and offer the following Softimage products: Softimage|XSI, Mod Tool, Face Robot, Cat, Crosswalk, and the Softimage XSI SDK.

This move makes Autodesk the undisputed dominant force in 3D animation and graphics solutions. They now own Maya, the industry standard for computer animation, 3DSMax, and Softimage XSI, among many other products. That portfolio is not only impressive, it’s tenacious. There are few studios out there that are not using one of those products. (more…)