Chipmaker Intel has agreed to join One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) in collaborating technology for the ambitious $100 laptop (XO Laptop) which plans to hit full scale manufacturing in mid-2007.
Earlier this year, Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of OLPC criticized Intel for selling their low cost Classmate PC below the production cost to undermine the efforts put by OLPC project.
XO machines ($100 laptop) presently use rival AMD’s Geode CPU, but there are no immediate plans to replace the CPU with Intel’s technology. However, severs which will be used to deliver content and other purposes will have Intel technology in their core.
With this new agreement, Intel will be joining 11 other companies which include some big names like Google and Red Hat who have joined hands in helping the non-profit OLPC project.
Rival chipmaker, AMD’s response: “Intel’s apparent change of heart is welcome, and we’re sure they can make a positive contribution to this very worthy project for the benefit of children all over the world”
According to Intel, its upto OLPC to choose which product to offer or not offer, so it’s unclear if OLPC is willing to replace currently used AMD CPU in the long run. Any software developed for Classmate PC should work on XO Laptops and vice-versa.
I’m quite happy to see Intel join forces with OLPC for the benefit of the under-privileged children.
[Source: BBC News]
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