Intel Cambridge opens up lab for collaborative talkfest

乏味 · 发表于 2006-6-21 21:25:00

Intel Research Cambridge this week opens its lab doors to let visitors pick its researchers' brains and maybe pick up a few ideas of their own.

At its Open House 2006 it will present a snapshot of its research activities in wired, wireless and optical networking, virtual machines and ubiquitous computing, and, says Associate Director Frank Binns (pictured), the world's largest maker of computer chips will welcome discussions with its University collaborators, Intel Researchers and the collective Leadership of the Intel Research worldwide.

The Cambridge Lab was Intel's first research facility outside the US. It is based in the Bill Gates Building on the rapidly growing West Cambridge Campus of the University of Cambridge which already houses the Microsoft Research lab, the Hitachi Lab and the recently completed Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics. The whole site has close links with industry, with selected units and activities having secured funding from, as well as Microsoft and Hitachi, Toshiba, Advance Nanotech, Alps Electric Company, Dow Corning Corp amongst others.

There is, by all accounts, a great scientific buzz around the place as people swap lab tales and muse on blue sky possibilities. The dusty old Cambridge University common rooms of times gone by have been electrified by the presence of the world's leading high tech companies keen to generate innovation. It's a boost for professorial egos and the Cambridge establishment has come to embrace the idea that making a buck or two along the way is not such a bad thing.

Says the university's Chair of the School of Technology and Head of Photonics Ian White: "The research topics being explored at the Intel lab are exciting and are likely to lead to disruptive advances. The way the lab approaches research is to ask 'impossible' questions, so to speak, and that's very rewarding for the students involved, and for me as well."

Professor Ian Leslie, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge is one of the drivers of collaboration with industry. The benefits include, he says, that the university's researchers have access to the current thinking in industry and get a sense of what is possible, "so that their research ideas and solutions are grounded in reality".

Open collaboration

Intel says joint research efforts thrive because of its open and collaborative research (OCR) model that promotes the open distribution of results. The model avoids conflicts over intellectual property (IP) rights that bedevil many traditional university-industry collaborations. It enables each lab in the Intel Research Network to work freely with university researchers, without having to draft legal agreements.

"Intel has been using the OCR model since 2001, when we established our first university labs in Berkeley, California, Seattle, Washington, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” says Director Hans Mulder. “This unique model for doing joint research has lived up to our high expectations [and] is especially well suited to the European research community, which places a high value on collaboration.”

Intel's open approach makes it easy to contribute to research. Researchers can join a project for a short time, contribute in various ways, and take away anything of use to them, without having to deal with IP issues. Students can join the project and not worry about having to sign nondisclosure agreements or how the research might affect their PhD publications. All of the joint research is for publication.

The ability to attract a broad range of researchers is particularly important in areas such as wireless networking which require a multidisciplinary approach, according to Intel researcher Dina Papagiannaki. "Addressing specific topics in wireless networking frequently requires cross-disciplinary cooperation," she says.

"For instance, attempts to identify the optimal design or limitations of a wireless router may require the engagement of radio specialists, protocol experts and networking experts until the problem can be properly addressed. If the lab did not have an open and collaborative model of research, such efforts would not be feasible."

Since its launch in the summer of 2002, Intel Research Cambridge has made significant strides. “The lab has grown since its initial inception, allowing us to study a broadening range of subjects,” says Mr Binns. “The recent worldwide adoption of wireless networking has opened some rich areas for study, which adds depth to the optical communication and virtualisation expertise that we started with. We anticipate a continuation of the exciting results obtained to date”.

“Europe has a large and strong research community and a set of community programs that values transnational collaborations,” says Dr Mulder. “Intel, as a world class silicon manufacturer, has a deep understanding of computing and communications technology, usage models and trends; that’s the value we can add for our European colleagues.

"The Cambridge lab is the ideal conduit for creating a synergistic relationship between us.”

Research agenda

Intel's Cambridge lab does research on wireless and optical networking, platform and development technologies to support innovation in distributed applications.

Current projects focus on optical systems that could reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of computing; the application of virtual machine technology to enable one computer to serve many users simultaneously; new forms of networking and network monitoring; and the challenges of programming for “many core” environments. Researchers also are engaged in short-term experiments in the area of ubiquitous computing.

hx0999 · 发表于 2006-7-4 16:30:00

sounds good.

Intel Cambridge opens up lab for collaborative talkfest

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