Intel Wins Global Patent With R2 Chips In London High Court

Intel Wins Global Patent With R2 Chips In London High Court

The two entities are engaged in similar litigations in France and Italy

The London High Court has ruled in favor of Intel in the global patent dispute with US rival R2 Semiconductor.

In 2022, R2 sued Intel and sought an injunction to prevent the sale of some of the latter's chips. It argued that Intel infringed its patent by marketing chips and processors containing fully integrated voltage regulators.

However, Intel counterclaimed to invalidate R2's patent of on-chip power supplies for computer microprocessors.

Following a trial in April, Judge Richard Hacon ruled that R2's patent was invalid due to lack of an ‘inventive step’ when building on previous inventions. Though he added that Intel would have infringed R2's patent had it been valid.

R2 contended that "the entirety of Intel's current product line of microchips, processors and other microelectronic devices that incorporate a fully integrated voltage regulator" infringed its patent.

The company sought an injunction to prevent further infringement, which could have stopped Intel from seling products, including its ‘Ice Lake’ server chips.

In February, a German court ruled in favor of R2. The regional court in Dusseldorf had held that Intel products infringed R2's patent.