Q: This year is the 30th anniversary of Computex Taipei and Intel has been an important partner to Taiwan hardware makers who helped make this show such a success over the years. Can you comment on the evolution of the show and its role in the IT industry?
A: We've seen a tremendous change in the show over the past 30 years. At first it was just a little show based in only one Hall. At that time you had other shows such as Comdex that were much more important to the PC industry. However, Computex has grown steadily over the years, and you can say Computex has replaced Comdex in many ways. It is one of the most influential trade shows worldwide.
Q: How has Intel evolved with the show?
A: Intel has tried to take a leadership role in the IT industry, at first helping move customers into PCs. Then we helped move them forward into more advanced desktops, and more mobile devices. Now we have a number of PC opportunities in our future, including cloud computing. But we have also diversified with the show, and over the past few years we have diversified even more. The PC industry now has an installed base of 350 million and we are looking to see how we can grow our user base well beyond that.
Of course, the PC industry will definitely continue to grow and we have seen new market segments arise, in addition to our core business. Over the past three years, the netbook market has gained prominence and has been a successful opportunity for Intel. At first, critics said you will only be able to ship small volumes in this market, how big could the market be? However, we were able to capitalize on the new usage model and now millions of units are being shipped, making netbooks a new category in the market.
The development of the Atom processor made this possible, and one of themes Intel has this year at Computex is "Atom everywhere." We aim to show how Atom can help us grow new markets, such as the embedded and smartphone markets, based on the platform's low power consumption, feature set and performance. We are well positioned to penetrate into such markets and provide solutions to our customers, and we are looking to grow these markets together with our partners.
Q: What advantage does the Atom have in the embedded market that will make people look to adopt it? For example if an OEM comes to you in the embedded market, why would the company choose Atom over some other solution?
A: Different markets have different requirements and it would be a mistake to think players in a market evaluate you by saying you can't do this for me today but you can do it tomorrow, so give me a call tomorrow. Players within the industry understand there is a gradual evolution of the market. If your partners understand your roadmap and the progress and leadership you are showing, they will realize that you are the port of choice of them when they move into new markets.
For example, if you look at the smartphone space, you need low power consumption to succeed. In that market we can offer Moorestown. Moorestown is much more power efficient than our previous generation Menlow platform. It's probably 10x better. And our next generation will deliver much better power efficiency than Moorestown.
So this low-power platform gives makers opportunities to design on different form factors. And because it is an Atom, they also know they have a lot of flexibility on the back-end, as to what kind of OS can support them on the platform.
Q: So there is a certain amount of trust on the part of your partners?
A: Of course. If you have a roadmap that shows the features you will adopt and you explain this is how we are going to get from here to there, people will listen if you've shown that you can do it.
So while it's true that all companies can say each progressive generation of their product delivers better features and better performance than the last, you still need to show how quickly and how strongly you are progressing.
The market can see how fast we progressed from Menlow. We are 10x lower in power consumption and our next generation will be much lower than that. In the future we will have the lowest power consumption on the market. Competitors may say they will be better in the future too. But guess what, so will we. We will always continue to get better in the future.
So for hardware makers, they see that Atom has a lot of things in common with the products they are currently used to developing, and it makes sense for them to choose Atom based on the knowledge that they know where we are headed. They can use that familiarity with Atom to help them both on the hardware and software side when developing products. In addition, their knowledge of Intel architecture will help them adopt new platforms much faster, and they can reuse the knowledge they already have on their established platforms.
Q: You mentioned software, what is Intel's view on software? For example, in the heady days of the PC industry, Intel almost exclusively partnered with Microsoft. But if you talk about Atom being everywhere, especially in the embedded and handset markets, there are a number of other operating systems and platforms to develop on.
A: As I mentioned, Intel looks at Atom as being the port of choice, by that we believe this is the port that would best benefit the whole industry, not just one system maker or one operating system.
Some end users think we should just focus on what they think is the best platform, but you have to think about your partners who are developing products. They might have to work with a different software vendor or use a different software application than originally intended and we have to enable them for various platforms.
We are not Apple, where the situation is that one company provides everything – 100% of the software and hardware for you. Sure we can take care of the hardware but the software is an ecosystem. It is not just one person or 10 people, it is millions of people trying to do something on the platform. So we just try to create an environment. The Atom is a port of choice because our partners know we have created an ecosystem where they can find the support they need to successfully develop products. There are more people helping you. That was how we drove the PC market and that is how we will try to drive things for the different embedded markets.
Q: Can you tell us about what Intel is doing during Computex Taipei 2010? Also, can you comment on some of the events that Intel has hosted so far during the show?
A: Computex is always an exciting time for us. The show has grown increasingly important and Intel is proud to be a major player at Computex. In addition to working closely with our partners, we work closely with the government and the show organizers to make the show a success.
This year at Computex we have had and will have a number of events, especially during the first two days. Of course, yesterday we hosted our keynote event, which we believe is one of the most important events of the show. People who come to Computex believe the opening keynote is the one thing they must attend. They see it as setting the tone for the whole show, setting the tone for how Intel and the industry is going to work together.
Yesterday David (Dadi) Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager, Intel Architecture Group (IAG), took a look back at the 30 years of collaboration Intel has had with Taiwan and its partners here. But as we saw, his speech was titled "the best is yet to come" and Intel truly believes that. We are always looking for our next billion users.
There is much opportunity out there going forward, such as with cloud computing, our Atom platform, and our future technology platforms such as Sandy Bridge and Oak Trail.
We are also excited about tablets and other new gadgets. The market has devoted a lot of attention on the Apple tablet, but that is just one product. We are showing 30-50 designs from our partners. These devices are part of our "Atom everywhere" theme. We have about 10 tablets featured in our booth and we are also showcasing designs beyond tablets. Visitors can see entertainment centers, jogging machines, digital signage solutions and all sorts of embedded solutions. All of these will be based on Atom architecture and embedded will be a huge market for Atom moving forward.
Today, we are also hosting an Intel Atom Software Summit and Ultra Mobility Group Event where we will speak more about how Atom is the ideal solution for a number of different markets.
Q: Can you tell us about WiMAX?
A: WiMAX is an interesting technology because it's here. We've been talking about WiMAX for three years, saying it's coming. But I can use WiMAX with my notebook here at the Computex show. Service is available in here in Taipei, and other places in Taiwan. However, worldwide it's not here yet. We still need to get there. But Taiwan is a more advanced area in terms of WiMAX development. During Computex, visitors can see the advantages of WiMAX. And Intel remains committed to WiMAX. The proof of concept is there. It is already available and it is workable.
Q: You used the phrase "new usage model" earlier. What does Intel mean by that?
A: New usage model is used when we speak about applications that have the potential for being used in a way that is new to us. There are opportunities for new usage with all new products, such as WiMAX, tablets or e-readers. When a product first comes out people think, "why would you want that?" and then one day down the road they say they can't live without it. At that point it is no longer part of the new usage model.
We've already seen it happen with Wi-Fi and PNDs, for example.
You change your perception and reality by adopting a new usage model, so Intel is always looking to enable new usage models. But you need to have a value proposition for that new usage model. It has to help and create better value for your life. It cannot be more of a burden for you.
For example, this year at Computex Taipei we will be showcasing our wireless display technology. Wireless displays can enable me to link from my computer to a monitor without any cables. And it doesn't have to be a notebook. I can connect from a digital camera to an LCD TV or from a handset to any display. People can come to your home and show you a picture they just took without having to waste time connecting through wires. Of course it has to be affordable and workable, but it presents a new kind of usage model. With any new technology, time is needed for increased adoption but the goal at Intel is to accelerate the adoption rate. It is good for the industry and good for the people who use it. Adopters get to enjoy the technology and the more people that use it, the more affordable it becomes.
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