Intel is aiming to be seen as the number one company when it comes to an overarching framework for IoT integration.
That’s according to Intel’s new president of the Client and Internet of Things (IoT) Businesses and Systems Architecture Group, Venkata Renduchintala.
Renduchintala, speaking to IDG’s News Service, admitted that Intel’s IoT strategy doesn’t have to solely be delivered by the chipmaker.
“It’s integrating a number of different technologies that could be indigenous to Intel, or could be created by other companies, but managed in a way where people could look at Intel as somebody providing the overriding framework of integration,” he said.
But that would mean Intel would have to work with other technology firms – including many of its rivals. When asked whether Renduchintala would be open to the idea of taking an ARM CPU license, for example, he said “yes”.
Intel and ARM together?
“My view is fairly straightforward – that Intel’s IoT plan has to not only be able to harmoniously integrate Intel-based microprocessors and MCUs, it has to be able to aggregate and harmoniously integrate a plethora of different types of MCUs, whether it be ARM-based, MIPS-based, or proprietary MCUs,” he said.
Renduchintala, formerly of Qualcomm, added that all of these MCUs have the ability to monitor and sense data that they want to get on to an information highway of some kind.
“There are many areas in the ARM ecosystem where Intel can pragmatically play in for its own benefit. I’m a big believer in paying respect to established ecosystems,” he said.
Clive Longbottom, analyst at Quocirca, believes that Renduchintala’s thoughts are a “breath of fresh air” into what is normally a “stuffy, conservative Intel structure” but suggested that this could be problematic.
“He will face considerable use-back from those who tend to believe that Intel is so much better than any other chip manufacturer,” he told Internet of Business.
In his interview, Renduchintala said that autonomous driving vehicles, robots and drones are big opportunities for the company.
“We characterize our IoT interests into three verticals: industrial, transportation and retail — all of them have an end-to-end dimension where we’re providing a client environment, the networking infrastructure, and the data analytics platform that drives all of that through industry partnerships,” he stated.
And Longbottom believes Intel will have to take their view one step further, by not only embracing what ARM is up to, but also looking at proprietary, analogue devices.
“Intel needs to have a full, intelligent, intelligible and coherent message around what it means by IoT; how it plays across the whole spectrum; and where it will be partnering to provide that full function, full spectrum offer,” he said.
By Sooraj Shah
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