Intel's answer for the 'next billion'

Through its "Discover the PC" program, Intel is developing PC designs targeted at communities in less-developed countries. During its Solutions Summit held here, Intel also exhibited a low-cost PC meant for first-time users.

This initiative tries to answer two primary challenges faced by populations it targets: lack of access and ownership, according to Doug Findlay, marketing director for Intel's emerging markets platforms group.

The chipmaker operates four "definition centers"-located in Bangalore, India; Cairo, Egypt; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Shanghai, China-that identify market requirements of each geographic area and other factors considered in designing PC platforms including weather conditions and the kind of content people can access.

"We have people who go to villages and observe the day-to-day tasks of the people and see how technology can help make their lives better and more efficient," Findlay said.

To address harsh weather and power supply conditions in rural India, for example, Intel designed a "community PC" platform placed in Internet kiosks and used by village folk to access government records (in electronic form) such as land records and marriage licenses. Moreover, Findlay said farmers are able to access crop prices through the Internet.

To withstand extreme humidity conditions, the CPU is encased in a "ruggedized" chassis and runs on a customized UPS (uninterrupted power supply) which, in this case, is a normal car battery that can provide power for up to six hours. The system is configured for low-power consumption and features one-button system recovery in case of PC failure.

Findlay said Intel is working with local governments to develop local applications that can run on these community PCs.

NO COMPROMISE

Intel also launched recently a low-cost PC design meant for first-time buyers and what the company thinks should bring the world closer to having one billion more people owning PCs.

In his keynote address during the summit, Bill Siu, vice president and general manager of Intel's channels platform group, said the goal of providing PC access to another billion people cannot be addressed by low-cost devices like PDAs and even mobile phones.

"There should be no compromise on technologies to these countries," Siu said, pointing out to a full-featured PC as a better alternative.

Intel introduced its new low-cost PC, which comes in a small-form factor roughly half the size of an ordinary desktop PC, in Mexico, Ghana, Nigeria, and Egypt and will soon launch it in at least 10 more countries, said Findlay.

Intel previously launched low-cost PC programs partnering with local resellers in some countries like Thailand and the Philippines. The price for this new low-cost PC would depend on Intel's local partners.

The goal, according to Findlay, is to reach a price level that is 20 percent lower than the existing lowest price point for low-cost PCs in the market at present.