Just days after forming an alliance with smart meter company Itron (Nasdaq: ITRI), Cisco took another bold step in its move into the smart grid industry.
On Thursday, the networking technology company announced its intent to acquire Arch Rock Corporation, a developer of Internet Protocol-based wireless network technology for smart-grid applications.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in San Francisco, Arch Rock brings an experienced smart grid team to Cisco that is expected to accelerate the company’s efforts to develop and manage an IP and open-standards based software system for smart grid operations.
"Arch Rock’s wireless mesh technology enhances Cisco’s IP-based, end-to-end smart-grid offerings," said Laura Ipsen, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Smart Grid business unit. "This acquisition further positions Cisco as a strategic partner to utilities working to better manage power supply and demand, improve the security and reliability of energy delivery, and optimize operational costs."
Arch Rock’s technology is designed to enable utilities to connect smart meters and other distributed intelligent devices over a scalable, multi-way wireless mesh network.
The acquisition is expected to be complete in the second half of 2010.
Loading...