AMD is expanding its Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) patent portofolio by acquiring intellectual property (IP) from Nitero.

Austin-based Nitero has designed a phased-array beamforming millimeter wave chip to address the challenges facing wireless VR and AR. Using high-performance 60 GHz wireless, this technology has the potential to enable multi-gigabit transmit performance with low latency in room-scale VR environments. The beamforming characteristics solve the requirement for line-of-sight associated with traditional high-frequency mm-wave systems, potentially eliminating wired VR headsets.

Besides the related IP, AMD acquired all the employees of Nitero. Nitero co-founder and CEO Pat Kelly has joined AMD as corporate vice president, Wireless IP.

It will be very interesting to see how this acquisition pans out long term, especially if Nitero ends up becoming the primary supplier of VR and AR wireless chip technology.

AMD is facing pressure from some of their competitors like Intel and Qualcomm who already have wireless divisions and 60 GHz technologies for VR.