According the Register cunning plan is to put more of its chips into modems and routers that homes and smallish businesses use to connect to the web.

Currently the gear is run by cheap and stupid technology. Embedded Linux is about the best you can expect and that cannot be customised even if you could get to it.

Intel thinks that building x86s into CPE devices will make them more interesting. It already uses Atom cores into its PUMA range of DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, but apparently stage two involves putting it into DOCSIS 3.1 kit. This will mean that it can deliver gigabit cable Internet performance. Recently Chipzilla bought Lantiq, which makes DSL modem system-on-chips. Lantiq got some G.fast technology which is tipped to be the gigabit-speed successor to VDSL.

If Intel installs x86 cores into PUMA kit and Lantiq gear and tarts it up with a bit of virtualisation the home router becomes a server and the ISP can push services directly into the home. Firewalls could be run by the ISP along with some of the security defences.

If Intel gets OpenStack running at carrier scale then chips on modems become an important part of its Internet of Stuff policy.