Putting job cuts aside, Intel moves on with IoT plans at Computex 2016

April this year saw PC company Intel trying to break away from that industry and venture into building on cloud computing capabilities with microchips that power datacenters and Internet-connected devices, essentially the Internet of Things (IoT). While the move will take Intel in to a burgeoning tech revolution, CEO Brian Krzanich, in his letter to employees pointed out that this would mean losing up to 11 percent of its workforce – that’s about 12,000 positions. At the on-going Computex 2016 in Taipei, Intel will showcase new technologies, products and collaboration that will help it achieve its IoT vision. Intel already introduced the Intel Xeon processor E3-1500 v5 at Computex 2016. The graphic processor family enables service providers pack more video streams into a single server or appliance to minimise datacenter footprint and reduce power consumption. On the connected homes front, Intel announced its AnyWAN GRX 750 system-on-a-chip (SoC) family and the Intel XWAY WAV500 Wi-Fi chipset - Intel’s 5th Generation 11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi family of products for home gateways. The Intel platform enables local and cloud-based services, media creation and content sharing for tools ranging from ultra-high-definition devices to “things” in a person’s home. For the transportation segment, Intel announced a collaboration with Taiwan-based Chunghwa Telecom and SanJet Technology Corp. to create a connected telematics service using a low-cost Intel Atom x3 processor for IoT (formerly known as SoFIA). The device will provide drivers with a customised insurance policy based on driving behaviour and car usage. Intel adds that it will continue to expand Intel Atom x3 processor-based solutions for products like point-of-sale systems, healthcare tablets and industrial devices within the IoT. Intel also announced a partnership with Foxconn to jointly develop network infrastructure technologies to accelerate the transition to 5G, which the company believes will bring more powerful wireless networks that connect ’things’ to each other.