Intel has entered into a definitive agreement with Cray Inc. to acquire certain assets related to its high-performance computing (HPC) interconnect program. With the agreement, Intel gains access to Cray's interconnect personnel and intellectual property.

The Cray interconnect team is responsible for the Gemini interconnect as well as the upcoming Aries interconnect, designed to work in Cray's next-generation supercomputer, codenamed "Cascade," which will integrate Intel Xeon processors. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the current quarter, subject to customary closing conditions being met.

Gemini is an interconnect capable of millions of messages per second and designed for multicore processors. The Aries interconnect chipset allows the system to scale along with network bandwidth.

"Delivering continued advancement in high-performance computing, including breaking the Exascale barrier, requires tremendous innovation in interconnect technology," said Diane Bryant, vice president and general manager of Intel's Datacenter and Connected System Group. "The acquisition of Cray's industry-leading interconnect technology and expertise provides exceptional strategic assets that further enhance Intel's HPC portfolio. We?re excited about the value this will allow us to bring to our customers."