Intel teams up with Arduino to promote open-source hardware community

Dean Takahashi | Venture Beat | October 3, 2013

Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich announced today that the world’s biggest chip manufacturer will collaborate with open-source hardware platform Arduino. Together, they will work to foster innovation in the “maker” and educational communities.

Krzanich, speaking at the Maker Faire in Rome, Italy, also introduced the Galileo development board that will become the foundation of open source hardware platforms. Intel is donating 50,000 of the Arduino-compatible Intel Galileo boards to more than 1,000 universities worldwide over the next 18 months. The exploding “maker” community is a do-it-yourself technology movement.

“In the past, innovation happened in Silicon Valley garages,” said Mike Bell, vice president and general manager of new devices at Intel, in an interview with VentureBeat. “These days, there is a lot of innovation happening in the maker community. This is a great way to expand our reach” and aid in the democratization of hardware.

The board can be used for do-it-yourself projects, from light displays to life-size robots. Arduino is an open source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. Artists, designers, and other do-it-yourself enthusiasts can use the platform to create interactive objects or environments easily...