** Shares of chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NXPI.O rise 1.1% to $215.23 in premarket trading
** Co agrees to acquire AI firm Kinara in an all-cash transaction valued at $307 million
** Deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025
** "Adding Kinara's AI capabilities to our broad intelligent edge portfolio creates a scalable platform for new classes of AI-powered systems," said Rafael Sotomayor, executive vice president and general manager, Secure Connected Edge at NXP
** Stock had fallen 9.5% in 2024
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru)
((HarshitaMary.Varghese@thomsonreuters.com))