Intel Shows its Rugged Side

Intel Corporation has launched a new rugged PC platform designed to meet the needs of rural villages and communities in India. The Community PC platform is based on Intel technology, and can operate in a community setting while accommodating varying environmental conditions throughout India.

The new platform is part of Intel’s Jagruti (Awakening) initiative, which is designed to bridge the urban-rural divide and provide rural Indian communities with economic and social opportunities. The program supports the spread of rural Internet kiosks based on the Community PC platform, and will be made possible through collaboration with leaders in business, government, education and online services.

The kiosks will accelerate access to information and communications technologies in villages throughout India. The new platform was designed to withstand the varying weather conditions of heat, dust and humidity in India, as well as unreliable power sources that can compromise typical PCs in those environments.

The Community PC platform supports remote diagnostics and control features under low power requirements. Features include a rugged chassis with a removable dust filter and integrated air fan to regulate the temperature of the motherboard. It also features a Customized Power Supply Unit comprised of an integrated power supply and UPS unit, enabling the PC to maintain continuous power in a power outage. Total power consumption of all peripherals is less than 100 watts, and the platform also features certified-based access, enabling banks to verify the validity of installment payments against the purchase of the PCs.

Internet kiosks are already common in Indian villages, and Intel expects many of the Community PC platforms to be deployed in these locations. The new platform creates entrepreneurship opportunities for prospective kiosk owner/operators, and Intel has already initiated several Community PC pilot projects throughout India.

“Intel actively supports efforts to provide computer technology to places where it hasn't previously been available,” said William M. Siu, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Channel Platforms Group. “Our experience shows that ICT adoption in developing nations requires much more than providing a standard PC; the technology often needs to be adapted to the local usage and environment of a particular country or region. In addition to defining the platform and developing the ingredient technologies, Intel also collaborated with local hardware, software and service companies to deliver on the promise of the Community PC platform. Overall, Intel has made substantial investments in technology, ecosystem partnerships, and education initiatives in support of this belief.”