A Common Digital House
Five hundred Russian scientists are working for Intel already, and recently we announced that we would hire another five hundred. They all will participate in research activities to be conducted in Russia.
Jul 30, 2004
- Do you mind if we use a dictaphone?
- No, I don't, as long as it's digital.
Intel CEO Craig Barrett is interested in everything operating in digits - telephones, cameras, laptops, PCs - and nothing else. With each year his company is becoming increasingly diversified. While in the past Intel produced only processors, now it develops wireless communication technologies and tries to unite in a single "digital house" devices that were previously considered incompatible. One of the company's main ideas is to create a supercomputer that would combine a multitude of devices designed to process huge volumes of information. This would enable the company to systematize its knowledge and make a gigantic stride in the development of the information society.
The idea of uniting the mankind on the basis of information technologies also affects Intel's current business strategy - to work together rather than compete.
-- Convergence is one of the most popular topics in the field of information today. Each technology claims to be the new platform that will dominate all other technologies. For example, media tycoon Rupert Murdock believes that the technology of tomorrow is the interactive TV rather than the computer. What do you think?
- I think that it's wrong to talk about some device winning. The person that argues that an interactive television or the computer will win doesn't understand the main point: devices should interact and be compatible. Of course, TV people will say that TV will win, computer manufacturers will announce that computers will win, and Nokia, for example, is confident that a mobile phone will be a new platform of convergence. But this approach is incorrect: they need to work together and not compete. It's not without reason that groups working on digital house projects are trying to unite different manufacturers' television sets, phones, and computers.
- What do you think of the Russian market's innovation potential?
- It is developing very rapidly and in a diversified way. The computer and cell phone market is booming; the share of wireless communication is increasing. And it seems to me that Intel has wireless communication technologies that Russia can use- I mean WiMAX [this technology increases the service area of wireless computer communication from an aerial to 20-30 km - Expert]. Since Russia is very large and sparsely populated. Under such circumstances, WiMAX is irreplaceable.
- For the last five years, many have been waiting for an innovation boom on the Russian market. Do you think it has already begun?
- It's difficult to say. Russia has excellent scientific potential, so more and more inventions are appearing on the market. However, as far as the IT market is concerned, it is international. It doesn't have any national features, since every invention becomes global property. Computers in Russia don't differ from those in China at all - they even use the same software. Russia can only increase the share of its innovations in the international market.
- Does Intel plan to use Russian engineers' talents?
- Yes. Five hundred Russian scientists are working for the company already, and recently we announced that we would hire another five hundred. They all will participate in research activities to be conducted in Russia. However, the fruits of their labor will be available on the international market and not just in Russia.
- Do you believe that technological preferences are the same in all countries?
- No, preferences vary from country to country. This is how it was and will always be. In Japan, people prefer laptops, which can be easily explained. Houses and offices are small, which is why desktop computers just won't work. But in principle, they use the same computers as in the US or in Moscow. They all are made according to common standards.
- But in Russia, the idea of the digital house is unlikely to be as popular as in Japan...
- It's only a matter of time. Such things largely depend on countries' technological preparedness. The extent to which technologies and networks have spread among the population affects how fast new technologies can be implemented. For example, high-speed Internet access and other types of computer communication are widespread in the US. In Russia, this infrastructure is very poorly developed at present [as few as 13 percent of Russians own computers and only 2 percent have a high-speed access to Internet - Expert]. But the market is developing very rapidly, so the digital house will also come to Russia before long. Intel, for example, has launched a campaign called A Powerful Computer in Every House, and as part of this campaign, several tens of thousands of computers have already been sold in Russia.
In addition, the government can and should influence the rate of technology implementation, for example, by teaching children to use computers and holding computer classes. This is the most efficient way to introduce new technologies, because children are not as afraid of new things as we old folks are.
- Are you going to lobby for these things in Russia?
- I am proposing them. But in general, I can tell you that governments are not very excited about long-term investments. They have, first of all, elections on their minds, hence they focus on populism. China is the only country where a development program for the next 20-30 years exists. For example, they want to raise the level of their research universities to the US level within this space of time. And this arouses a lot of interest among large international companies.
- Is it possible to build a company as large as Intel in Russia and how would someone do it?
- Intel was built in 1960s with the object of commercializing computer achievements. It emerged exactly at the time when technical achievements began to migrate from one production field to another. Enterprises operating in the market sector are growing very rapidly. If a company conducting research and combining discoveries from diverse fields emerges in Russia, it could become quite large quite quickly.
- No, I don't, as long as it's digital.
Intel CEO Craig Barrett is interested in everything operating in digits - telephones, cameras, laptops, PCs - and nothing else. With each year his company is becoming increasingly diversified. While in the past Intel produced only processors, now it develops wireless communication technologies and tries to unite in a single "digital house" devices that were previously considered incompatible. One of the company's main ideas is to create a supercomputer that would combine a multitude of devices designed to process huge volumes of information. This would enable the company to systematize its knowledge and make a gigantic stride in the development of the information society.
The idea of uniting the mankind on the basis of information technologies also affects Intel's current business strategy - to work together rather than compete.
-- Convergence is one of the most popular topics in the field of information today. Each technology claims to be the new platform that will dominate all other technologies. For example, media tycoon Rupert Murdock believes that the technology of tomorrow is the interactive TV rather than the computer. What do you think?
- I think that it's wrong to talk about some device winning. The person that argues that an interactive television or the computer will win doesn't understand the main point: devices should interact and be compatible. Of course, TV people will say that TV will win, computer manufacturers will announce that computers will win, and Nokia, for example, is confident that a mobile phone will be a new platform of convergence. But this approach is incorrect: they need to work together and not compete. It's not without reason that groups working on digital house projects are trying to unite different manufacturers' television sets, phones, and computers.
- What do you think of the Russian market's innovation potential?
- It is developing very rapidly and in a diversified way. The computer and cell phone market is booming; the share of wireless communication is increasing. And it seems to me that Intel has wireless communication technologies that Russia can use- I mean WiMAX [this technology increases the service area of wireless computer communication from an aerial to 20-30 km - Expert]. Since Russia is very large and sparsely populated. Under such circumstances, WiMAX is irreplaceable.
- For the last five years, many have been waiting for an innovation boom on the Russian market. Do you think it has already begun?
- It's difficult to say. Russia has excellent scientific potential, so more and more inventions are appearing on the market. However, as far as the IT market is concerned, it is international. It doesn't have any national features, since every invention becomes global property. Computers in Russia don't differ from those in China at all - they even use the same software. Russia can only increase the share of its innovations in the international market.
- Does Intel plan to use Russian engineers' talents?
- Yes. Five hundred Russian scientists are working for the company already, and recently we announced that we would hire another five hundred. They all will participate in research activities to be conducted in Russia. However, the fruits of their labor will be available on the international market and not just in Russia.
- Do you believe that technological preferences are the same in all countries?
- No, preferences vary from country to country. This is how it was and will always be. In Japan, people prefer laptops, which can be easily explained. Houses and offices are small, which is why desktop computers just won't work. But in principle, they use the same computers as in the US or in Moscow. They all are made according to common standards.
- But in Russia, the idea of the digital house is unlikely to be as popular as in Japan...
- It's only a matter of time. Such things largely depend on countries' technological preparedness. The extent to which technologies and networks have spread among the population affects how fast new technologies can be implemented. For example, high-speed Internet access and other types of computer communication are widespread in the US. In Russia, this infrastructure is very poorly developed at present [as few as 13 percent of Russians own computers and only 2 percent have a high-speed access to Internet - Expert]. But the market is developing very rapidly, so the digital house will also come to Russia before long. Intel, for example, has launched a campaign called A Powerful Computer in Every House, and as part of this campaign, several tens of thousands of computers have already been sold in Russia.
In addition, the government can and should influence the rate of technology implementation, for example, by teaching children to use computers and holding computer classes. This is the most efficient way to introduce new technologies, because children are not as afraid of new things as we old folks are.
- Are you going to lobby for these things in Russia?
- I am proposing them. But in general, I can tell you that governments are not very excited about long-term investments. They have, first of all, elections on their minds, hence they focus on populism. China is the only country where a development program for the next 20-30 years exists. For example, they want to raise the level of their research universities to the US level within this space of time. And this arouses a lot of interest among large international companies.
- Is it possible to build a company as large as Intel in Russia and how would someone do it?
- Intel was built in 1960s with the object of commercializing computer achievements. It emerged exactly at the time when technical achievements began to migrate from one production field to another. Enterprises operating in the market sector are growing very rapidly. If a company conducting research and combining discoveries from diverse fields emerges in Russia, it could become quite large quite quickly.