Spring IDF: Intel prepares for future of computing

IDG News Service - With the IT industry apparently recovering from the downturn of recent years, Intel Corp. will spend its Spring Intel Developer Forum (IDF) talking about what it considers to be the topics that will dominate technology's next era: increasing mobility, the digital home and the emergence of large data sets and complex applications, executives said today.
Intel typically devotes the biannual IDF conference to a review of its progress over the previous six months and a preview of upcoming products and technologies in development. This edition, set for Feb. 17-19, will focus not only on the technological achievements of Intel's research and development labs but also on ways to integrate those technologies into IT projects that make sense in the real world.
Simultaneously with the regular IDF, Intel plans to host its inaugural Solutions Conference, which is targeted at IT managers, software developers and other audiences traditionally outside of its usual attendee base of hardware developers and partners. The company has done this at IDF conferences in other regions for some time and decided that the approach would also work well in the U.S., said John Davies, vice president in Intel's sales and marketing group and director of the Solutions Market Development group. Both conferences are being held in San Francisco.
Speakers at the Solutions Conference will talk about Intel's focus on bringing technology to specific vertical industries such as health care or manufacturing, as well as Intel's own strategies for deploying technology across the company, Davies said.
But the main news will still flow out of the Systems Conference. Intel CEO Craig Barrett will kick off the show next Tuesday with a speech discussing why he believes Intel has emerged from the recession as a stronger company, said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Intel. Barrett will also show some of the products and technologies that will maintain that strength into the future, he said.
Intel Vice President and General Manager Louis Burns of the Desktop Platforms Group will follow Barrett with further details on Intel's digital home strategy. Intel spent much of the recent Consumer Electronics Show promoting its entertainment PC concept and upcoming Grantsdale chip set and will probably do so again at IDF.
On the second day of IDF, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Fister of the Enterprise Platforms Group will talk about the future of the company's Xeon and Itanium processor lines. Fister will be joined by Bill Siu, vice president and general manager of the Desktop Platforms Group,