Intel opens Europe labs

Intel Corp. has launched the formation of Intel Labs Europe (ILE) with "open labs" being formed in Leixlip, Ireland and Munich, Germany. Coinciding with the ILE's launch, Intel chairman Craig Barrett and chief technology officer Justin Rattner attended a seminar in the European Parliament in Brussels regarding European research, innovation and competitiveness. The dialogue focused on how research and innovation can aid Europe's economic recovery and long-term competitiveness.
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Intel already has about 800 engineers engaged in research across Europe so the formation of ILE is partly to do with reorganising Intel's European research under a single management structure. Intel does plan to establish so-called open labs in Munich, Germany and Leixlip, Ireland to enable and host participation in EU Framework 7 (FP7) projects and other collaborative research with European companies, start-ups and universities.

Professor Martin Curley, professor of technology and business Innovation at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and global director of IT innovation at Intel, has been appointed Director of Intel Labs Europe, the company said.

The mission of ILE is to advance Intel Architecture research and innovation and to partner with European stakeholders to improve European competitiveness. The likely areas of research include: visual computing, software development, enterprise solutions, green computing, advanced microprocessor research and high performance computing.

"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," the company said in a statement. Intel is also working to align itself with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) as it develops. The EIT started operation from a base in Budapest, Hungary in 2008.

Intel did not say whether the formation would represent any additional funding beyond what it had already planned to spend on European R&D.

Intel's Braunschweig lab in Germany is developing system- and chip-level technologies for multi-core processors and SoC designs. Intel's Barcelona lab in Spain is working on chip-level innovations intended to improve chip performance and energy efficiency over the next 25 years. In Gdansk, Poland, Intel researchers focus on 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 Programs for collaborative research (FP5, FP6 and FP7) and has received support for its work in 20 projects to date.

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BY Peter Clarke
Source：EE Times

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