With healthcare reform currently the number one topic of discussion in Washington DC, chipmaker Intel is seizing the moment in order to gain exposure for its own health product, the Intel Health Guide. In a recent Politico op-ed, Intel CEO Paul Otellini argued for moving personal, preventative care into the digital age (with Intel inside, of course). At yesterday’s Intel Technology Summit, Louis Burns, VP and General Manager of Intel’s Digital Health Group, also spent some time talking in detail about the product.
You’re probably wondering why Intel, which is a fab-driven component company, is building not just an end-user gadget, but an entire enterprise-class IT system. Intel may have the expertise to do this, but to say that it falls well outside the chipmaker’s wheelhouse is an understatement. It’s worth taking a look at the larger dynamics that are driving Intel into the health systems market, because it says something important about the present moment in computing. In short, insofar as Intel’s capacity to produce cheap transistors is exploding faster than the existing computer industry’s ability to absorb those transistors, Intel is fast becoming a victim of its own success in driving Moore’s Law.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica
