Intel Opens Design Center To Boost Telematics

Autoparts Report, Oct 8, 2001

In an effort to speed delivery of wireless voice and data information to in-dash automobile systems, Intel has formed a Telematics Design Center. According to Intel, Web-based development and technical support is offered gratis at the design center for companies creating hands-free phones, navigation and multimedia applications, and other in-car Internet products using Intel's specially designed processors.

Telematics, which is forecast to be a multi-billion dollar industry, includes cellular voice and Internet services in vehicles. Among the in-car computing devices and services provided by telematics are GPS (global positioning satellite) navigation systems, emergency roadside assistance and a variety of entertainment applications and services.

The telematics market is expected to soar in the near future. Industry analysts Frost & Sullivan recently projected that, in North America alone, the market for telematics equipment will grow from$380 million in 2000 to $7 billion in 2007. Those figures seem reasonable, given that the market rose from $60 million in 1999 to $380 million last year, Frost & Sullivan researchers reported.

General Motors offers its OnStar navigation system on some 800,000 vehicles and said it will spend $1 billion to develop and produce what it calls "Web cars" equipped with built-in cellular phones and computer terminals. Ford and Volvo have an agreement with telecommunications giant Vodafone to provide in-car telematics systems based on the GSM (global system for mobile communications) standard that offer navigation, travel and traffic information to drivers. Ford also has forged a pact with Qualcomm to Web-enable its vehicles.

"The increasing consumer demand for driver safety and security, voice-activated communications, location-based services and multimedia entertainment has spurred significant interest by a number of manufacturers and service providers," said Pat Kerrigan, director of marketing for Intel's telematics operation. Intel said its processors have the flexibility to handle requirements for both ultra-low power and high performance, allowing them to perform such tasks as speech recognition, text-to-speech, MP3 decoding, travel route calculations, and creation and delivery of maps for drivers.

The Design Center Web site features hardware designs for a multimedia and hands-free phone kit, a technical library with design guides and software development notes, tools for programming Flash and debugging applications, and links to downloads for operating system software and Java applications, Intel said.