Intel Labs invests £18m in cloud computing and embedded tech research

The research will be based at Carnegie Mellon University in the US

Intel Labs has announced that it plans to invest £18m over the next five years in two technology centres that will research how cloud computing and embedded technology can be deployed in future.

The centres will use open IP models where results will be made publicly available through technical publications and open-source software releases, in a bid to encourage collaborative research.

"These new centres are expected to open amazing possibilities," said Justin Rattner, Intel CIO.

"Imagine, for example, future cars equipped with embedded sensors and microprocessors to constantly collect and analyse traffic and weather data. That information could be shared and analysed in the cloud so that drivers could be provided with suggestions for quicker and safer routes."

The cloud computing research will take place at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, but will receive contributions from Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California Berkeley, Princeton and Intel.

It will largely focus on built-in application optimisation, more efficient and effective support of big data analytics and making the cloud more distributed and localised by extending cloud capabilities to the network edge and client devices, which should decrease the volume of data that has to be moved around the network and consequently allay latency concerns.

The embedded computing research will also take place at Carnegie Mellon University, but will be contributed to by Cornell University, University of Illinois, University of Pennsylvania, Georgia Institute of Technology, Berkeley and Intel.

Intel hopes that the research will enable easier collection, analysis and usability of data from sensors and online databases.

Researchers across the US now also have the opportunity to submit information and ideas to Intel to be considered for future research centres. Intel anticipates that at least one new centre will be launched off the back of this process before the end of 2011.