With 'Curie', Intel Hopes to Break New Ground in Wearables, Sensors and the 'Internet of Things'

Every CES has at Least Theme — a Dominant Technology that Vendors and Technology Companies are Talking about, Even if it Doesn’t Take Center Stage at Anyone’s Keynote. At CES 2015, One of the Most Prominent Themes has been the 'Internet of Things' and Intel’s 
Keynote, in which CEO, Brian Krzanich, Plucked a Tiny Microprocessor Off his Lapel, Couldn’t Have Captured that Trend More Adroitly. This New Chip Codenamed, 'Curie', is the Kind of Product Intel is Hoping will Give it a Leg Up in the Critical 'Internet of Things' Market over the Long Term. If you Haven’t Seen IOT-Related Topics Burning Up the Headlines at ExtremeTech or Other Websites, there’s a Simple Reason Why — No One, despite a Great Deal of Collective Contemplation, has Figured Out How to Make the Concept of a Web-Connected Toaster Sing quite a like a New Video Card or Even a Major Automotive Push. Nonetheless, Vendors Large and Small are Pushing Forward with the Idea that, Various Microcontroller-Equipped Devices will be Integral Parts of our Personal Lives in the Not-Too-Distant Future. 'Curie', like Intel’s Edison, is Designed to be an Ultra-Low Power Product SoC but, the Power Consumption on 'Curie' is Going to Make Edison’s Dual-Core Atom and 1GB of LPDDR3 Look Wasteful. 'Curie' is Based on the Quark SE Sore, which presumably Offers the Same Instruction Set Compatibility as Standard Quark (it’s essentially Compatible with the Original Pentium’s Instruction Set, Minus MMX) but, with just 80KB of Onboard SRAM and 384KB of Flash Storage.


The OS is Listed only as an “open source real-time operating system” and Connectivity is Provided through Low-Energy Bluetooth. At 1st Glance, 'Curie' May Seem a Cut-Rate Version of an Already Cut-Rate Processor, with No Applications Processor, No I/O to Speak of, No Wireless Connectivity and No Wi-Fi. Intel’s Goal, however, is to Push the Chip into New Markets, Where its Tiny Power-Sipping Nature is a “Just Right” Fit for Specific Tasks and Users Aren’t Required to Recharge it Multiple Times a Day. Intel Appears to be Pursuing Both the Wearable Fitness Market and Biometric and Security Applications, with Additional Tie Ins to Other Brands like Fossil and Oakley. Exactly What the Company Believes the Long-Term Results of these Collaborations will be, is Unclear, Google Glass Hasn’t Exactly Lit Up the World with Acceptance and Joy. This New 'Curie' Module Isn’t a Direct Competitor for Anything in ARM’s Standard Product Line — it’s Going to Go after ARM’s Cortex-M Family of Embedded Microcontrollers. While it’s Impossible to Speculate on which Cortex-M Chip Best Matches 'Curie' at this Point, Intel’s Goal of Creating Wearable Technology with Long Battery Life Could Find Clear Markets in Specialized Fields, if Nowhere Else.


Medical Monitors and Security Tokens, Could Benefit from these Approaches and the Wearable Market for Fitness Devices is still Growing. 'Curie' is One Plank of a Larger Intel Strategy to Push Compute Capabilities into New Areas alongside its RealSense Camera Technology and Wireless Charging. The Chip Manufacturer also Announced a Major Push to Improve its Employee Diversity and Retention Rates of Both Women and Persons of Color. The Company Announced the Plan with a Number of Prominent Partners, including the International Game Developers Association, the E-Sports League, National Center for Women in Technology, Feminist Frequency and Rainbow PUSH. This New Announcement was a Direct Repudiation of the Gamergate Snafu Earlier this Year, in which Intel Pulled Advertising from GamaSutra after Angry Gamers Flooded it with Complaints about the Website’s Editorial Content. $300M and a Full Pledge to Improve Intel’s Diversity over the Next 5 Years, Sends an Awful Clear Signal about Which Side of that Debate, Intel Decided it Wanted to be on.