Intel pumps $30m into the cloud

CRN.

The $30 million is part of Intel's five-year $100 million programme rolled out to accelerate innovation and increase university research.

Intel is one of the founding members and one of the leaders of the Open Data Centre Alliance, a group of multinationals that aims to create international standards for cloud computing, says Business Inquirer.

The group is made up of about 100 companies representing about $50 billion in IT spending every year.

Companies in the alliance, which include brands like BMW, Shell and the Marriot chain of hotels, also publish their experience with cloud computing in the hope of imparting lessons to others that are just starting out.

Intel has been operating a research lab at CMU for the last decade, according to TribLive.

The new centres, however, represent a shift in the company's focus. Intel spokeswoman Connie Brown says the company used to focus on brick-and-mortar facilities. The new model ISTC will shift more money into research, Brown notes.

The centres will include collaborative efforts with top researchers from other universities as well as CMU faculty and graduate students.

Justin Ratner, Intel's chief technology officer, predicts that the centres will explore new frontiers.