Intel stops Quark-socs for internet of things

Intel announces it will discontinue its Quark chips, which it made for internet-of-things applications, wearables and smart home products. According to the manufacturer, market demand has shifted ‘to other Intel products’.

Intel notifies customers in a product discontinuance document that the Quark socs and microcontrollers have been given end-of-life status. The manufacturer is still taking orders until July 19 this year. Deliveries will continue until July 17, 2022, the company promises. It is not clear to which ‘other Intel products’ the demand would have shifted. The company does not have comparable socs as Quark or its successors.

Intel announced the Quark family of chips in 2013. It concerns 32bit-x86-socs that are a lot smaller and more economical than the Atom processors. At the time, Intel hoped that the Internet of Things and the maker industry would become a growth market for the company. However, the chip giant failed to gain a foothold in the market, which is dominated by ARM. That is why Intel already stopped developing its development boards for the Internet of Things: Galileo, Edison and Joule.

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