Today at Computex 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan, Intel showcased how its products and technologies enable the full PC experience for today and the future spanning hardware and software innovation, new prototype laptops, artificial intelligence (AI), ambient computing, modular computing and more. Intel is trailblazing the future of powerful, ambient and seamless computing by harnessing the explosion of data to ensure the PCs of today are equipped for the experiences and workloads of tomorrow. The data-centric future demands new platforms that enable devices to be smarter and adaptable so people can focus, create and engage in more meaningful ways.
Jim Johnson, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of Client Engineering said, “Intel’s long history of delivering leadership performance, driving deep co-engineering and scaling new designs will accelerate platform innovation and put a new class of compute performance and intelligence in people’s hands. At Computex, Intel is demonstrating its ability to create the platform of the future, with key initiatives such as Project Athena bringing AI to the PC and continuing to lead the way in transforming the PC ecosystem.”
Here are the top five advancements that Intel showcased during its Technology Open House at Computex:
1. Experience-Led Prototypes Drive the Future of Laptop Innovation
Driving form-factor innovation into high-performance systems, Intel demonstrated a new form factor concept (code-named “Honeycomb Glacier”) to enable new experiences for gamers and creators. The Honeycomb Glacier concept features an integrated companion display for more screen real estate to game and create, all in a laptop. The design powers more immersive gaming experiences by making key information persistent on the companion screen to access things like level maps, inventories, status and more with no applications overlapping your game play or switching between applications. The companion display also enables simultaneous gaming and streaming, giving streamers the chance to interact with their audience real time without sacrificing their game play.
Intel is collaborating with OEMs to bring to market companion display systems based on this visionary concept and powered by the latest 9th Gen Intel Core mobile processors, with the first being the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo with ScreenPad Plus.
Additionally, with new laptops coming with Wi-Fi 6, connecting to a network delivers the best Wi-Fi experience. Intel showcased new Wi-Fi 6 home routers and gateways powered by Intel technology from AVM, Edimax, Elecom, NETGEAR and TP-Link that are launching this year.
2. First Ambient Compute Concept PC
Intel is enabling a computing experience that will be increasingly immersive, connected and intelligent. In the future, PCs must adapt to people’s needs by being always on, always aware, always sensing and intelligently notifying. Providing an early look at how computing will evolve, the company demonstrated the Intel ambient PC prototype (code-named “Mohawk River”) to show how the laptop can:
- Be always ready and proactively adapting to users.
- Anticipate user needs and commands by leveraging human presence sensors, 180-degree cameras, exterior secondary displays and Intel local voice ID.
- Connect with people using closed-lid intelligence, allowing for seamless transition from open lid to closed lid and back again.
- Continue working efficiently, getting relevant information and staying connected even with the lid closed when in transition.
- Amplify planned or adhoc meetings with 360 video conferencing.
Intel also demonstrated how it is implementing a human presence approach using hands-free login with Windows Hello* and Intel® Context Sensing Technology to deliver advanced laptop experiences that help people focus, be always ready and adapt to different roles throughout the day.
3. Introducing the First AI on PC Dev Kit
Software, development tools, operating systems and hardware are all undergoing rapid changes to take advantage of deep learning technologies and other modern AI techniques. AI will also change the way people interact with and use their PCs, including huge leaps in productivity, dynamic performance enhancements, auto content editing and more.
Intel announced a collaboration with Microsoft* and Asus to launch the world’s first AI on PC Development Kit, delivering a brand-new laptop form factor featuring the latest AI software and hardware technologies to put developers at the cutting edge of AI application development.
Available starting July 2019, the dev kit contains a powerful combination of an Intel Core CPU and Intel Integrated Graphics, and, for the first time, an Intel Movidius Myriad X VPU for high-performance, low-power AI workloads. The three hardware engines will run a diverse range of AI workloads to deliver a comprehensive breadth of raw AI capability for laptops today.
The AI on PC Development Kit will also include a suite of pre-installed software that will enable developers to go from idea to creation right out of the box, including the newest Windows ML libraries, the cross-platform Intel OpenVINO toolkit, and all of the necessary supporting tools for end-to-end AI application development on PC.
4. The Next Stage in Modular Computing
Modular computing remains a key opportunity for industry growth by enabling new opportunities for device manufacturers, PC-makers and anyone providing computing solutions in the industry to integrate compute and connectivity into everything, including consumer, business and industrial applications.
Today, Intel announced the Intel NUC Compute Element, which enables an industry standard for modular compute utilizing Intel Architecture and standard compute technologies and interfaces. The device incorporates an Intel CPU, memory, connectivity and other components and is capable of powering solutions like laptops, kiosks, smart TVs, appliances and more.
The Intel NUC Compute Element delivers incredible performance and amazing connectivity at a low cost while making it easy to integrate, upgrade and seritial NUC Compute Element will be available with a range of processors, including versions with Intel vPro technology for increased security and manageability. Products based on the Intel NUC Compute Element are expected to be in market in the first half of 2020.
5. Intel Optane Establishes a New Class of Memory
Intel announced Intel Optane memory M15, a new generation of Intel Optane memory. Available in 2019’s third quarter, Intel Optane memory M15 features higher performance and lower power than the previous generation. Combined with the 9th Gen Intel Core mobile and desktop platforms, people will experience short boot times, fast application launches, and fast gaming and browsing.
This builds on the launch of Intel Optane memory H10 with solid state storage – an innovative device that combines the responsiveness of Intel Optane technology with the storage capacity of Intel Quad Level Cell (QLC) 3D NAND technology in a single space-saver M.2 form factor. The combination of high-speed acceleration and large SSD storage capacity on a single drive will benefit everyday PC users, whether they use their systems to create, game or work, enabling both faster access to frequently used applications and files and better responsiveness with background activity.
