The Hindu Business Line : Intel developing community PC for Indian villages

Mr Patric P Gelsinger, Senior Vice-President, General Manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation, at the Intel Developer Forum in Bangalore on Thursday.. — G.R.N Somashekar

Bangalore , Oct. 6

, CHIPMAKER Intel is planning the launch of community-based personal computers (PC) and is implementing pilot projects in 10 locations across the country. The PC is designed to provide wireless Internet access to village communities and remote areas.

Announcing this at the Intel Developer Forum here on Thursday, Mr Patrick P. Gelsinger, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Digital Enterprise Group, said Intel would announce its strategy based on the results from the pilot tests. Specifications for the low-cost rugged PC that could withstand high temperatures and tough conditions would be announced by the year-end so that computer makers in India and elsewhere could manufacture them, said Mr Amar Babu, Director for South Asia (Sales and Marketing).

The computer can function through the use of a car battery as its back-up energy supply, since supply of electricity in the rural areas was a problem, Mr Gelsinger said. It could be used in schools and educational initiatives in rural areas, though it was still in a conceptual stage, said Mr Babu. Intel was also partnering with State and Union Governments and it was in an advanced stage with the Uttaranchal and Karnataka Governments, Mr Amar Babu said. The company was looking to launch WiMax pilot projects, he added.

The company had also launched the second phase of its India operations, said Mr Gelsinger.

The investment in the new facilities will be about $43 million. The company currently employs 2,700 people, and the headcount is expected to go up to 3,000 by the year-end.

Intel is driving growth through localised computing solutions, having established platform definition centres in four key markets — Bangalore, Cairo, Sao Paulo and Shanghai. These centres are working on a number of local technology and platform initiatives across several countries.

Mr Gelsinger said Intel was involved in trail deployments to test the feasibility of WiMax.

New capabilities have been planned for the company's next-generation mobile platform, code-named Napa.

Intel is also working with local original equipment manufacturers to bring out entertainment PCs.

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