This year Intel celebrates its 40th birthday. At this point, it is fascinating to look back and examine how far technology has helped us, but even more so, it is truly eye opening to examine the effects that the continuing evolution of technology has had and will have on literally billions of lives around the world. Abdulaziz Al-Noghaither, General Manager, Intel Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, analyses the last 40 years of technology and predicts how the Kingdom is going to embrace the next 40 years of technology's evolution. SAUDI ARABIA, like many other countries within the Gulf region, recognizes the importance of innovation in technology and is embracing educational initiatives which work towards ensuring technology becomes a key component of future economic growth. Education in technology is a key factor in maintaining the momentum of development and will likely position the Kingdom as a global knowledge leader in years to come. The Saudi government is investing heavily in projects which promote and use technology to improve living standards and future developments. Projects like King Abdullah's University of Science and Technology and Knowledge Economic City are clear indications of the direction the country is moving in. Taking a look back in time, it is obvious that technology has come a long way. Back in the 70s, color televisions had been available for just a few years and the first mainframe computers were filling entire rooms, keeping teams of scientists busy. In the mid-eighties many of us were hitting the road with our Sony Walkmans, and the privileged among us had received our first glimpse of a home computer, resplendent with their floppy disk drives and expensive price tags. Moore in action Thanks in part to the rapid increase in computer processor power - which Moore's Law accurately predicted would double the rate of chip performance every 18-24 months - sluggish machines did not stay around for long. By the 90's, Intel's Pentium CPU technology had entered the market. Technologies like the Pentium boosted system performance by a factor of 30 in just 10 years, making multimedia PCs a very real possibility and providing the increased processing power required to play CD media, power 3D games and pump out surround sound. Fast forward another 10 years to today and we currently enjoy a world of increase in performance since the first home computer was developed - introducing the PC user to a virtual world; video conferencing and digital movies to name a few. More change to come In the coming 40 years, we expect to see the majority of the 6.6 billion people now inhabiting our planet connecting to the internet. It's easy to forget, but just 20 per cent of the global population is online right now - just 1.3 billion people. u Intel and the Intel World Ahead Program for instance focuses on connecting the next billion people worldwide, allowing more and more of them to participate in today's global economy through information and communications technologies. It is regions like the Middle East that are positioned to benefit the most from the advantages such an evolution has in store. According to research house IDC, the region's household internet penetration, currently standing at just under 20 per cent, will shoot up to over 30 per cent in the next two years. • But this growth in connectivity won't be derived simply from more homes gaining internet access. With their young tech-savvy populations of early adopters, countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia already tout some of the highest mobile phone penetration rates in the world.* And the phones being bought are not being used simply for calling and sending text messages either, as alongside such amazing mobile penetration figures sits IDC's prediction that the number of 3G subscribers - 3G smartphones can access the net at super-quick speeds - in the Middle East will spike from just fewer than 4 per cent up to 10.2 per cent in just two years. We expect to see people here flocking to next-generation devices too, like those that will be based on our forthcoming Mobile Internet Device (MID) technology platforms, products that will literally allow them to take the internet with them “in their pocket.” This type of mobile connectivity is really the next step in driving the region forward and will be possible also thanks to a technology called mobile WiMAX. This opens broadband-speed access over huge geographic areas of up to 30km in diameter (per installation), meaning users can swap between their home internet connections, 3G-enabled and faster mobile devices and WiMAX-supplied laptops and internet devices to reach a world of information, wherever they are and, more importantly, even if they happen to live in remote or rural areas. Saudi Arabia will not and should not be left behind in the ever advancing world of technology. With the current market potential it is clear that the way forward will be in educating and investing in technology – a field that will advance development and growth. u Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm • Source: IDC research published at the IDC CIO Summit, 17.03.08, Dubai * The UAE's incumbent telecommunications provider, Etisalat, for instance recently confirmed its mobile penetration rate had reached over 100 percent. __
