Intel makes $100m commitment to smart tech

Vendor wants to accelerate wearables and internet of things technology

Intel has put its money where its mouth is on smart technology, pledging a $100m (£60m) investment aimed at the development of wearables, smart devices and internet of things (IoT) tech.

The chipmaker unveiled the Capital China Smart Device Innovation Fund at its annual Developer Forum in Shenzen. The pot of cash will provide Chinese companies with capital so they can create innovative new products for Intel to add to its global portfolio.

The firm claims it wants those taking advantage of the fund to focus on tablets, smartphones, two-in-one devices, wearables and tech relating to the IoT trend.

Wearable technology is tipped to be the next big thing in the tech industry, with analysts gushing about the opportunity it presents to the channel.

The IoT trend - which analyst GSMA claims is expected to see up to 50 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020 - is set to see companies supplying the related technology rake in $300m (£183m) by the same year, according to Gartner.

Intel's executive vice president Arvind Sodhani said the opportunity was not to be missed.

"Innovation in smart devices and the IoT is heralding the evolution of a new ecosystem for computing technologies," he said.

"We are investing to accelerate this exciting new ecosystem, extending from new smart devices and sensors to networks to base stations to servers to big data analytics."