Apple in talks to buy Intel smartphone chip unit

(San Francisco) – Apple is in talks to buy Intel´s smartphone modem chip unit, a move that would help the iPhone maker control a key component, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Journal cited unnamed people familiar with the matter as saying the deal would cover Intel patents and staff valued at a billion dollars, but that it might not come together.

Apple has been investing in its own mobile chips to ramp up performance and features in its devices and reduce its dependence on Qualcomm.

Intel earlier this year announced it was abandoning efforts to compete with modem chips for smartphones synched to new-generation “5G” networks.

Intel made the revelation a day after Apple and Southern-California based Qualcomm said they agreed to “dismiss all litigation” against each other worldwide in what had been a sprawling battle over royalty payments.

The last-minute settlement cut short a courtroom clash between the tech giants just as it was getting underway in California.

For two years, the companies had fought a multi-front brawl that could have required Qualcomm to pay billions.