Intel offers concessions to EU to wrap up McAfee deal
08 Jan 2011
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, has offered concessions to the European regulator to address anti-trust concerns on its $7.68-billion deal to buy security-software specialist McAfee Inc.
The Brussels-based regulator, the European Commission (EC) yesterday said that it has extended the deadline by two weeks from 12 January to 26 January after Intel submitted a proposal offering commitments that are expected to address its antitrust concerns.
The EC however did not reveal what the commitments were.
Without disclosing the concessions given to the 27-member country watchdog, Chuck Mulloy, a spokesman of the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker told Reuters that the company expects an early clearance from the EC.
''We're continuing to work with the Commission. Our expectation continues to be that we get this matter completed sometime in the first half of 2011,'' he added.
The EC had last month privately expressed concerns during its preliminary review of the deal as Intel had said that it was its desire to incorporate McAfee's security features into its widely used microprocessor chips, the Wall Street Journal had reported last month. (See: Intel deal to buy McAfee under EU scanner: report)
