BMW now steps closer to producing its autonomous car thanks to new partnerships

While Tesla is being investigated following a driver’s death while under Autopilot control, BMW is pushing ahead with its autonomous vehicle initiative with the new partnerships the brand has entered into. BMW is planning on delivering its iNEXT autonomous car by the year 2021 and to help make that happen, they’ve partnered with Intel and Mobileye. They’re working towards developing “future-proof solutions that will allow the drivers to completely shut off behind the wheel.

Intel will be providing the processors needed to handle the constant stream of information the sensors and cameras bring in. Meanwhile, Mobileye will help BMW create systems that can produce an accurate picture of what’s happening around the iNEXT. In case you didn’t know, Mobileye developed the technology behind Tesla’s AutoPilot system.

Source: Gizmag

Intel's major restructuring effort will result in 12,000 layoffs

Intel has announced a major restructuring effort that will cost 12,000 jobs, or 11 per cent of its workforce to mid-2017. The news comes as the company's plans to "accelerate its evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices." The chipmaker is focusing on data centres and Internet of Things (IoT) as primary growth areas expected to offset the slowing PC market.

"Intel Corporation today announced a restructuring initiative to accelerate its evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices. Intel will intensify its focus in high-growth areas where it is positioned for long-term leadership, customer value and growth, while making the company more efficient and profitable," the company said in a statement.

Source: TechSpot.com

Former Intel CEO and Chairman Andy Grove has died

Some sad news coming from Silicon Valley, Intel's former CEO and Chairman Andy Grove has passed away at 79. Grove is credited for helping build Intel to great heights as a semiconductor giant as well as a key figure in the consumer technology landscape. He served as Intel's leader from 1979 to 2005.

According to Intel, "Grove played a critical role in the decision to move Intel’s focus from memory chips to microprocessors and led the firm’s transformation into a widely recognized consumer brand. Under his leadership, Intel produced the chips, including the 386 and Pentium, that helped usher in the PC era. The company also increased annual revenues from $1.9 billion to more than $26 billion."

Grove was also a bestelling author and business strategist, his book Only the Paranoid Survive: How To Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company is a must-read for managers and one of the best references for managing change within companies and industries. Grove served as an elder statesman of the shifting technology industry even after his retirement in 2005.  Read more about his life and achievements here.

Microsoft, Intel, Samsung team up for smart home alliance

One of the biggest hurdles for a truly smart home is that your appliances and devices don't really talk to each other, so to speak. There are competing protocols and proprietary ecosystems by different companies, which make it hard for the devices to communicate, if they aren't from the same brand. But some big tech brands are banding together to hopefully solve this issue. The Open Connectivity Foundation includes members like Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, Qualcomm, Cisco, and GE Digital, to name a few. They want to create open-source protocols that can be implemented by any manufacturer, regardless of chipset or operating system. So, in an ideal world your different appliances from different brands can talk to each other.

A big challenge for the alliance though is that key players in the industry like Apple, Google, WeMo, and Philips are not members. Apple is pushing its own HomeKit system, which, of course, only works for iOS devices. Google hasn't gotten Brillo off the ground yet but it has its own implementation, too. We can't really say if these companies will even be willing to consider to partner up with OCF, it would be quite helpful though if they do.

Source: Engadget