Intel’s new CEO Brian Krzanich says he’s been a “maker” for years, and he’s leading the chipmaker into new friendships in the DIY community.
Last week Krzanich announced a collaboration with Arduino, the open-source electronics prototyping platform, and unveiled the Intel Galileo board, the first product in a new family of Arduino-compatible development boards featuring Intel architecture, running on the Linux operating system. He said Intel would donate 50,000 of the easy-to-use boards to 1,000 universities worldwide in the next 18 months. The company is already working with 17 schools to develop curriculum based on the new boards, due out commercially in November.
Intel will also take the development tools beyond academic engineering departments to equip everyday makers through a corporate sponsorship of TechShop, announced today. The deal will enable the membership-based workshop and fabrication studio to follow through on a planned rebuild of its original Menlo Park location and headquarters.
The two companies will also collaborate on a series of workshops featuring the Galileo, which Intel describes as “a great tool for quickly prototyping simple interactive designs such as LED light displays that respond to social media, or for tackling more complex projects from automating home appliances to building life-size robots controlled by a smartphone.”
Mark Hatch, CEO of the 6-location, 5,500-member TechShop organization, called Intel “a true champion of innovation” and, in a statement today, said the sponsorship “furthers our mission of helping makers and entrepreneurs of all ages build their dreams and explore new ideas.”
Intel’s Krzanich, said, “Through our ongoing efforts in education, we know that hands-on learning inspires interest in science, technology, engineering and math.”
