Company Builds on Its Experience Driving Key European R&D Projects
With more than 800 R&D professionals in Europe, Intel Corporation has a deep history of innovation and creativity in the region. Intel’s European-based innovation projects encompass a variety of areas including chip design, software development, mobile communications and services, nanotechnology chip research, development of key Intel products, and research on technologies that could help the ageing population to lead healthier, better lives.
In Europe Intel employs a variety of research and innovation models, including Intel-owned labs, with hundreds of European professionals focused on development of Intel products, joint research with European universities, open innovation and collaboration with industry and academia, participation in EU framework programs and cooperative standards development work with industry partners that deliver increased value and productivity to consumers.
At Intel’s labs in Europe, researchers are driving key innovations for the future of computing technology. For example, Intel’s Braunschweig lab in Germany is developing system and chip level technologies to enable future many-core processors and system-on-a-chip designs. The Barcelona lab in Spain is driving essential chip level innovations that will enable Intel to increase chip performance and energy efficiency for the next 25 years. In Gdansk, Poland, Intel’s researchers focus on designing and developing software and hardware systems for networking and telecommunications equipment using reprogrammable silicon. The Intel Cologne, Germany lab plays a leadership role in Intel’s worldwide R&D network, developing Intel tools for high-performing computing (HPC) systems and compute clusters.
Intel has participated in the EU’s Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes for research and technological development (FP5, FP6 and FP7) with contributions to more than 20 projects to date. Intel was a lead industry partner in the largest open source project funded through FP6 (Digital Business Ecosystems) and recently commenced engagement in Europe’s first Joint Technology Initiative (JTI- ENIAC). Intel has also formed partnerships with leading European research institutes, including the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Belgium, France’s CEA Leti Laboratory and others including the Fraunhofer institutes in Germany. Together with the National University of Ireland, Intel leads one of the broadest open innovation initiatives in the IT industry through the Innovation Value Institute. Since 2003 Intel has also been collaborating with CERN on OpenLab I. Participation has recently been extended to include OpenLab III which – amongst other focus areas – will provide optimization and porting services for the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments.
Intel has also initiated significant collaborative work with universities such as the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona where both parties work on increasing the performance and reliability of future processors while reducing their energy consumption; the Gdansk Technical University where software development projects are driven forward jointly; and the Braunschweig Technical University where students and Intel researchers work together on physical chip design and system chip design.
One of Intel’s goals is to build a significant co-development capability in High Performance Computing technology through investments in Exascale Computing Research and Development Centers (ECRDCs). These labs will address future high performance computing challenges for EU customers. In France, lab discussions include CEA, who contribute their HPC Tera architecture and integration experts. GENCI will provide their scientific end user applications and feedback. Finally the University of Versailles St Quentin en Yvelines will be contributing to multi core performance evaluation and code optimization. In Belgium, discussions are ongoing with the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and the Flemish Super Computer Center (VSC) about their participation. Intel anticipates establishing three more ECRDCs in the EU in the coming year.
Intel has also supported many European universities in the Bologna process to adapt and deploy Intel co-developed technical and entrepreneurial curricula. One such program provides technical students with basic skills and insights for starting their own businesses based on technology innovation. Intel has worked with more than 600 professors in 11 EU countries on technology entrepreneurship and on how to create and sustain an entrepreneurial eco-system within countries to enable innovation-fueled economic growth.
Launching Intel Labs Europe
Augmenting Intel's many years of scientific collaboration in Europe in the areas of materials science and semiconductor infrastructure – and having followed with great interest the development of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – the company today announced the formation of Intel Labs Europe (ILE). ILE aims to drive even closer collaboration with European researchers and policy makers on EU initiatives including exploratory research, methods of using ICT to improve the efficiency of industries and increasing the quality and productivity of ICT overall. Likely areas of focus include visual computing, software development, enterprise solutions, green computing, advanced microprocessor research and high performance computing. Prof. Dr. Martin Curley is the newly appointed Director of Intel Labs Europe. Currently Dr. Curley is Global Director of IT Innovation at Intel and Professor of Technology and Business Innovation at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Structurally, ILE will serve as a coordination point for Intel’s new collaborative architecture research projects in Europe and is goaled with scaling research programs under a common management team and coordinating work with the European research community and policy makers. The mission of ILE is to advance Intel Architecture research and innovation and to partner with European stakeholders to improve European competitiveness. With the foundation of ILE, Intel is establishing a strong network of its existing labs in Europe and preparing a platform for further potential investment and advanced innovation activity. Intel is also working to establish two open labs in Munich, Germany and Leixlip, Ireland to enable and host open innovation activities such as participation in EU Framework 7 (FP7) research activities and joint innovation programs with leading European companies, high-potential start-ups and universities. ILE is exploring new research programs with institutions including the University of Saarland in Germany and SAP’s R&D team. Intel hopes to participate in funding these projects and to further align with the EIT initiative as it develops.
ILE will coordinate innovation activity and future investments against an innovation agenda focused on enabling a Digital Europe which is aligned with the renewed EU Lisbon Strategy and the EU i2010 strategic initiative.
As part of Intel’s efforts to collaborate even more closely in Europe, senior Intel executives participated on January 28, 2009 in a seminar in the European Parliament regarding European research, innovation and competitiveness. The dialog focused on how research and innovation can aid Europe’s economic recovery and long-term competitiveness.
Event participants included European Parliament President Dr. Hans-Gert Pottering, EU Commissioner for Science and Research Dr. Janez Potocnik, EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva, Erika Mann, member of the European Parliament, and Dr. Lutz Heuser, head of research for SAP. Intel participants included Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner.
CONTACT:
        Intel Corporation
        Marlo Thompson
        +49-89-99143-220
        marlo.thompson@intel.com