Intel Plows Headlong into IoE with Atom Chips, New Partnerships

Now Intel (INTC) wants in on the Internet-of-Everything—using the narrower nomenclature "Internet-of-Things" but fundamentally the chip maker’s referencing the same thing—a fabric of billions of connected devices talking to one another producing volumes of data heretofore unknown to technologists.

Intel used the Mobile World Congress conference not only to roll out a series of new chips and agreements to give more heft to its mobile push but also to stake a claim that it, too, will play a major role in the Next Big Thing. After all, there’s gobs of money to be made in an opportunity Cisco Systems (CSCO), among others, pegs at some $20 trillion worldwide.

At MWC, on the product side the chip maker offered up its 64-bit Atom processor, formerly code-named Merrifield, and previewed its next generation 64-bit, quad-core Atom processor for Android-based smartphones and tablets, code-named Moorefield. The vendor also detailed its new XMM 7260 LTE-Advanced platform chip and said it is shipping larger numbers of its XMM 7160 multimode LTE platform.

"We are entering 2014 with a very competitive mobile portfolio spanning application processors and communications platforms that will only get stronger," said Hermann Eul, Intel Mobile and Communications Group vice president and general manager. "Our new Atom processors for Android smartphones and tablets offer leading 64-bit performance and battery life, and the new 7260 platform gives the ecosystem a compelling LTE-Advanced experience."

In addition, Intel said it has signed multi-year agreements with hardware OEMs Lenovo, Asus and Dell as well as manufacturer Foxconn to propagate the Atom processor to their mobile platforms. It also showcased a new, free McAfee Mobile Security offering for Android devices and mobile device management extensions for its Device Protection Technology. The software includes anti-virus, app protection, web protection, call/SMS filter, anti-theft and contact back-up.

And, after positioning its product portfolio as a shaper of the next era of computing, Intel said it plans to collaborate with Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) and Cisco to redesign the network infrastructure to reduce costs and make it easier for service providers to deliver improved customer experiences and new services. The companies aim to accelerate network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) technologies.

"Today we are announcing leading communications products as well as new computing platforms,” said Renee James, Intel president. “As a result, Intel is well-positioned to shape the future of mobile computing and the Internet of Things."

Among the OEM agreements, Lenovo intends to bring new Intel-based smartphones and tablets to market this year, as does Asus, which unwrapped its Fonepad 7 LTE featuring an Atom processor and Intel LTE connectivity at MWC. And, Foxconn said it will equip a line of tablets this year with Atom processors later this year.