Microsoft, Amazon and Google aren’t the only companies making headway in quantum computing. Intel is showing off a new type of chip for processing qubits, D-Wave Systems is getting a new CEO, and IBM is gearing up for quantum-safe cryptography.
Tag: Intel
The Winter Olympics’ first-ever drone light show has earned Intel the title from Guinness World Records for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously.”
There might be an asterisk in the record book, however: The show didn’t actually take place at today’s opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea. Instead, it was pre-recorded last December for broadcast during the event, just to make sure that bad weather or a technical glitch didn’t spoil the view.
The synchronized flight of 1,218 Intel Shooting Star drones broke Intel’s previous record of 500 drones, flown simultaneously in Germany in 2016. The performance also surpassed the 300-drone salute that was pre-recorded with Lady Gaga for Super Bowl LI last year.
Andrew Grove – the Intel chairman and CEO who helped usher in the age of microprocessors, personal computers and the Internet – passed away today at the age of 79, the company said.
Intel said Grove played a critical role in the California-based company’s transition from memory chips to microprocessors like the 386 and the Pentium. Those chips greatly expanded the capability of personal computers, and contributed to Microsoft’s long-lasting primacy in the desktop market.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates paid tribute to Grove in a statement emailed to GeekWire.
Intel says it’s acquiring Ascending Technologies, its German partner in the drone business, in a deal that demonstrates how quickly robotic aerial vehicles are becoming an important computing platform.
In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Intel’s Josh Walden said the move is part of his company’s effort to “integrate the computing, communications, sensor and cloud technology required to make drones smarter and more connected.”
Ascending Technologies’ drones have long been a showcase for Intel’s RealSense control technology, earning them kudos at last year’s International CES show. Walden said the Ascending Technologies team would continue supporting their current customers while collaborating with Intel engineers to develop drones that can fly “with more awareness of their environments.”
The terms of the deal were not announced. Ascending Technologies is based in Krailling, near Munich, and has about 75 employees who will now be asked to join Intel. To celebrate the acquisition, AscTec programmed an LED-equipped droneto write the message “Happy to Join” … followed by the Intel logo.