'Era of ICT integration' about to take root: Intel
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Next year will mark an era of integration between screen and non-screen computing devices, Intel believes.
The “Internet of Things” (IoT) will enrich everyday life, improve government efficiency, transform business, and increase productivity, while also empowering the government’s “digital economy” policy, said Sontiya Nujeeseng, country manager of Intel Microelectronics (Thailand).
For example, a non-screen device called the “Intel Compute Stick” will be available in Thailand early next year, a version of which was launched in Taiwan at a price equivalent to about Bt4,900.
Unlike the Chromecast, it is a full-fledged computing device that can stream Internet content.
The potential markets for devices like stick computers are home use (entertainment and creative work) and digital signage businesses.
Sontiya said this new era would not replace personal computers but integrate them with other devices. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the PC and notebook market in Thailand will continue to see annual growth of 4-6 per cent for the next few years.
He said that next year, new devices and the government’s “digital economy” policy would drive spending on information and communications technology.
Business will also continue to utilise ICT to enhance operational efficiency.
“Next year, we will continue to focus on PCs, wearables, tablets and smartphones,” he said, predicting that IoT – smart cities, smart buildings, fleet management and data centres – would serve the consumer, business and government sectors.
IDC expects IoT-connected devices to be valued at US$7.1 trillion and to number 200 billion units by 2020, up from $1.9 trillion (Bt62 trillion) last year.
Sontiya said IoT meant four things for Intel: computing features, gateways, data centres, and analytical programs for big data.
Intel has formed a series of collaborations to drive the use of connected technologies across industries, joining the Open Interconnect Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium.
Data centres
The back end of IoT is the data centre, and big-data analytics the main component. Intel is involved in this area through its Xeon processor family.
Currently, around 81 per cent of the world’s top 500 supercomputers use Inter processors.
“Intel is ready to support the government’s ‘digital economy’ policy, in terms of technologies and our activities.
“We have been talking with local government organisations on implementing the IoT through smart-city initiatives such as water management, traffic management, and disaster and risk management, which are expected to begin rolling out early next year,” Sontiya said.
He added that this year Intel had been expanding its central processing units (CPUs) from PCs and notebooks to smartphones and tablets.
“In 2013, Intel shipped 10 million [CPU] units worldwide, while in 2014 Intel aims to ship around 40 million units for tablets.
Around 400,000 units were shipped in Thailand.
By the end of the third quarter of 2014, Intel had shipped more than 30 million CPUs for tablets, so it is on track to achieve its goal.”
Another area that Intel focuses on is the wearable device.
It expects the market for wearables to expand fourfold by 2017, and Intel has captured this rapidly growing market through its own technologies and acquisitions of related companies.
The Asia-Pacific region will be the information-technology industry’s greatest partner in propelling forward this new era of computing, with brands from the so-called Chinese technology ecosystem and dedicated innovation centres driving change into 2015 and beyond.
