Mubasher: Intel on Thursday said it would buy a software division from Canadian information technology (IT) service provider Pivot for $27 million, in an attempt to ramp up its fifth-generation (5G) efforts, according to CNBC.

The US tech giant said it will purchase Smart Edge, which helps divide and save data closer to users to accelerate computing device response.

The software is designed to run on Intel’s chips, which the chipmaker plans to sell into equipment for 5G.

More data will be stored on computers near cell towers and other 5G network equipment, or a practice called “edge computing,” rather than saving them in a centralised data centres, in which large files like videos appear more quickly for users.

“We plan to take full advantage of our combined technologies and teams to accelerate the development of the edge computing market,” Intel network computing division general manager Dan Rodriguez was quoted by CNBC.

Intel sees the next-generation of wireless data networks as an area for sales growth beyond personal computers (PCs) and data centres, its biggest business units.