Aiming to Get Into Smaller Devices, Intel Announces Big Push Into Arduino
Intel's latest effort to expand beyond its PC roots involves reaching out to hobbyists. — At Maker Fair in Rome, the chipmaker is announcing plans to partner with open-source hardware specialist Arduino.
Context & Ripple Effects
Intel's outreach to Arduino extends a longer effort to move beyond the PC, following its 2008 push into pocket-size internet devices. Its July release of the x86-based MinnowBoard shows that the company had already begun supplying bare-bones hardware for Linux-oriented developers.
Partnering with an established open-source hardware community matters because it gives Intel a route to the hobbyists and prototypes that can shape demand for smaller connected devices, rather than relying solely on conventional PC channels.
First-order effects
- Arduino gains an Intel partnership, while Intel gains direct access to an open-source hardware audience as it pursues smaller-device opportunities.
- Intel can place its developer hardware efforts, including MinnowBoard, closer to the community Arduino already serves.
Second-order effects
- Arduino developers gain a clearer path to evaluate Intel-based hardware alongside the platforms they already use, making developer familiarity a more important part of Intel's small-device push.
- Intel's smaller, lower-power chip roadmap must support accessible boards and software tools if the Arduino relationship is to translate hobbyist interest into design activity.
Third-order effects
- If chipmakers increasingly pursue open hardware communities, competition in smaller connected devices will extend beyond processor specifications to developer ecosystems, board availability and software support.
The trend: Intel is seeking developer ecosystems as a distribution channel for moving its computing platform beyond PCs and into smaller connected hardware.