Intel CES Keynote: Computing power is more important than ever. 3D, mobile, netbook app store

Intel CEO Paul Otellini gave a keynote speech at CES 2010. I live-tweeted the session and my raw tweets are below. In addition, here are some of the themes and highlights that I heard.

• The world is moving in directions that need a lot more compute/processing power.
• Computing and processor technology has rapidly advanced in compute power and energy efficiency, both in PCs and mobile.
• 3D is a key emerging area in the year ahead. 3D requires lots of computation, especially as visual quality increases.
• Mobile continues to be an important evolving area. Mobile processor advances are enabling new form factors: mobile devices, netbooks, slates, etc.
• Intel has launched the AppUp Center, an app store for netbook apps that runs on Windows and Linux. They are allowing their netbook partners to customize their storefronts.
• Intel Labs is innovating for the future.

Let’s dig in a bit deeper.

The world is moving in directions that need a lot more compute/processing power.

Today’s applications are providing more personal, more rich, and more immersive experiences. For example, people are using more social media, streaming video, augmented reality, and 3D multimedia. Many of these experiences require lots of compute power.

Computing and processor technology has rapidly advanced in compute power and energy efficiency, both in PCs and mobile.

Otellini reminded us the rapid pace of advancement in processors as far as compute power and energy efficiency is concerned. He paralleled this to the auto industry and said “If the car industry moved as fast as the computer industry, cars would get 470,000 mph, get 100,000 miles per gallon & would cost 3 cents.” The increase in compute and low power performance is needed both in high-performance PC space, for example, in rendering 3D movies, and in the mobile device space, where people are doing more with their mobile devices.

Intel announced its I3 core, I5 core, and I7 core products. The I5 and I7 have greatly increased compute power and increased energy efficiency using TurboBurst. This senses whether the processor needs to be in high compute mode, and if not toggles things down to a more power efficient mode.

3D is a key emerging area in the year ahead. 3D requires lots of computation, especially as visual quality increases.

A good portion of the keynote was on 3D and it included a 3D demo on the projectors which the audience used glasses to view. It started with demos of Avatar and other animated movie and game clips. Intel and Dreamworks are partners, and Otellini gave statistics on the increase in processing power that was used for each Shrek movie. As resolutions, visual effects, and realism increase the required compute power increases. I think he quoted something like a 3x increase in compute power from Shrek to Shrek 2 and a 9x increase in compute power from Shrek 2 to Shrek 3 in 3D.

There was also a demo of how to make home-made 3D video. The tools were two HD camcorders, a high-power PC, and a 3D display. The two camcorders are placed side-by-side with the spacing of a person’s eyes and the video is recorded. The videos are then placed on a PC that does the rendering in real time. Some processing is needed to adjust the imagery (such as the colors and white balance). And voila, you have 3D. I’m not sure what software they were using for this. Performing this type of processing on your PC requires a good amount of processing power that is available today, thanks to the advances in technology.

Mobile continues to be an important evolving area. Mobile processor advances aore enabling new form factors: mobile devices, netbooks, slates, etc.

The Intel Atom processor is their play in the mobile space. Otellini said the Intel Atom processor has created the netbook category. In addition, it is now being used in other emerging categories, mobile devices which are slimmer and more powerful, tablets/slates, and new consumer devices such as smart phones for your home that do home monitoring and management.

Intel has launched the AppUp Center, an app store for netbook apps that runs on Windows and Linux. They are allowing their netbook partners to customize their storefronts.

Perhaps the biggest news is that Intel has created the AppUp Center, which is basically an app store for netbooks. The big news is that the app store is both for Linux and Windows netbooks. Their netbook partners can create and customize their storefronts, so they do not all have to be identical. They already have commitments from Acer, Asus, Dell, and Samsung. You can take a look at http://intelappup.com .

Intel Labs is innovating for the future.

Otellini began and ended the session by discussing past and future innovations from Intel Labs. He mentioned their work in wearable sensors and wireless power.

Do you have any comments about Intel’s directions? If you saw the keynote, did you see any other key messages?

Finally, here are my raw tweets. Many are direct quotes from Paul Otellini.

• At the Intel Otellini keynote at #CES … here goes.
• If the car industry moved as fast as the computer industry,cars would get 470,000 mph,get 100,000 miles per gallon & would cost 3 cents.
• The next thing poised to explode in the home: 3D television.
• The 2010 world cup will be recorded and broadcast in 3D. Lots of deployment of 3D content over broadband
• 3D requires lots of compute processing power.Every time we increase the quality and realism of imagery, need many times more processing.
• Now 150,000 HD clips available on YouTube.
• In 1986, had trouble getting video running on the PC. Now the PC is at the center of creating video in HD and in 3D.
• Time for a 3D demo!
• Getting a tutorial on how to create 3D video.Use two HD cameras. Have a lot of processing power (they’re using alienware). Have a 3D TV.
• Put the two cameras next to each other. and record two videos of the scene. Then process it in the computer.Changing colors.Adding txt.
• The computer is performing the processing (color adjustments, etc.) at the same time in real time to allow the 3D rendering.
• Dah dah. That’s how you make homemade 3D videos. Needs a lot of processing power. Go Intel.
• Have the need to connect the devices in the home.USB 3.0 will go 2x as fast as USB 2.0. Now working on something even faster- Lightpeak.
• WiDi (Wireless Display) let’s you wireless stream video from your laptop to your TV using Intel Wireless Display Technology.
• Released 3 new processors: Core i3, Core i5, Core i7. i5 and have Turbo Burst. Adapts between high perform and lower power perf.
• Like phones are becoming smartphones. TVs are becoming Smart TVs.
• Bringing large range of content to TVs. Need processing for it. Surrounded the Atom core with all the multimedia accelerators needed.
• Last night someone posted on Twitter that they overclocked a processor to 7GHz. This is a new record.
• Developing new UIs for television. Showing a new IPTV settop box done with Orange. Have live stream previews of each channel. Cool.
• Orange stores *all* the TV content of the last 2 weeks in the cloud.IPTV lets you time travel-see old shows even if U forgot to record.
• IPTV also integrates social networking, youtube, browsing, etc. in your TV experience.
• Main theme: Streaming video from your PC to your TV with one little box (e.g, from NetGear).
• Intel is showing a home energy management dashboard. If you know your usage, then you can act.
• Have a small device that will retrofit every piece of electronics in your home to allow it to report its energy usage in the dashboard.
• Digital crib demo is done.
• The next trend: Mobility. Otellini is talking about the Atom processor, saying that it fueled the new category: The Netbook.
• New processor has better processing performance and better power performance.
• Intel is launching the AppUp Center. Can get apps for your netbook, whether your netbook is on Windows and Linux. Wow.
• Showing the AppUp center running on Dell’s netbook running Linux. Showing the app op center running on Asus netbook running Win7.
• Allowing partners to design their own storefront. It is available in Beta at www.intelappup.com .
• AppUp Partners who have already agreed to build storefronts are: Acer, Asus, Dell, Samsung.
• Now discussing SmartPhones. Discussing the Moorestown processor- named after Moore’s law.
• Otellini discussed WiMax.
• Showing video streamed to a smartphone using Vidyo for multipoint video conferencing.
• Showing an LG smartphone that uses Moorestown. LG and WindRiver developed this together.
• Showing an OpenPeak phone/home management system that uses Moorestown. OpenPeak screen lifts off the phone and becomes a small tablet.
• Last year, 10 Billion processor shipped around the world.
• Believe every electronic device will connect to the internet. -Paul Otellini
• The Retail world will be transformed with Digital Signage.
• Showing an augmented reality shopping demo using Digital Signage.
• Intel has a partnership with DreamWorks to generate 3D animations.
• Otellini is plugging Intel Labs and the work its scientists are doing for the future.
• Intel labs: Developing wearable sensors that customize a smart phone for you.
• Intel Labs: Developed technology to transmit wireless power wirelessly over a few centimeters. Working on extending it.
• Keynote is now over. That’s all folks!