Intel to End Sponsorship of Science Talent Search

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This is a bit of a shock. Please don't tell me that this is some kind of lame cost-cutting measure. :(

Intel, the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors, announced Wednesday that it is dropping support for a prestigious science and mathematics competition for American high school students. Former Intel CEO Craig Barrett said that he was “surprised and a little disappointed” by Intel’s move that ended the company's 17-year support of the contest.
 
Let me guess. They rather spend money on bullshit programs like Feminist Frequency.
 
It seems that Intel would rather spend their money on social engineering than on science.

I wouldn't considering buying an Intel product these days. I'm waiting for AMD's Zen and will buy one even if it's inferior to Intel's offerings.
 
I'm sure social media will do it's best to force companies into doing things it feels should be how a company spends it's money. :)
 
This program was a waste of money for them, most of the science projects had nothing to do with areas Intel is involved in and those students who would work on things Intel is involved in would never work for a company like Intel.
 
CRaschNet said:
Let me guess. They rather spend money on bullshit programs like Feminist Frequency.
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No, they rather cry to the government that they need VISA's to bring in cut rate workers from India and Pakistan and then once they're hired lay thousands of Americans off, and make their severance contingent upon training the foreigners before they leave. Its the hip new thing.
 
PersonalJ said:
This program was a waste of money for them, most of the science projects had nothing to do with areas Intel is involved in and those students who would work on things Intel is involved in would never work for a company like Intel.
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So you're saying we should not donate to malaria vaccinations in Africa?
 
PersonalJ said:
This program was a waste of money for them, most of the science projects had nothing to do with areas Intel is involved in and those students who would work on things Intel is involved in would never work for a company like Intel.
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Yeah, because pure research has never paid off. :rolleyes:
 
PersonalJ said:
This program was a waste of money for them, most of the science projects had nothing to do with areas Intel is involved in and those students who would work on things Intel is involved in would never work for a company like Intel.
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Community investment looks good to the public eye.
 
Nasgul said:
I hope Intel would go back to this program, find a kid wiz and put a Processor that would yield a greater 5% increase in performance, so that it can finally put AMD out of its misery and bankrupt.
Then again, they easily could make such processor, but I'm guessing they don't want AMD to go out of business, just yet.

Can't believe my i5 4690k has the same value as 200,000 AMD shares.
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I think there is a kind of a chicken and egg thing going on right now with processors ... software development has stalled and there are very few titles that need the maximum capabilities of the current processors (let alone 50% faster) ... the vast majority of the current PC market is mobility (laptops and tablets) ... these units really don't need speed enhancement capabilities as much as they need energy efficiency and improved mobility features (which is where Intel tends to focus their activities)

Now there is a tipping point in the future (not sure how far out) when we begin the transition to home automation where every home is fitted with servers and most functions are computerized ... this will require a lot more power from the processors ... but I would think we are at least a decade away from that in most industrialized countries
 
Protoform-X said:
Community investment looks good to the public eye.
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Community investment works best when it is local or REALLY REALLY Big ... Americans right now seem more interested in fighting against science than embracing it so as community service goes Intel may get much less bang for the buck ... they would probably get more positive publicity if they did like Apple did in the 70's/80's and get computer hardware into schools (or start opening schools of their own)
 
kbrickley said:
I think there is a kind of a chicken and egg thing going on right now with processors ... software development has stalled and there are very few titles that need the maximum capabilities of the current processors (let alone 50% faster) ... the vast majority of the current PC market is mobility (laptops and tablets) ... these units really don't need speed enhancement capabilities as much as they need energy efficiency and improved mobility features (which is where Intel tends to focus their activities)

Now there is a tipping point in the future (not sure how far out) when we begin the transition to home automation where every home is fitted with servers and most functions are computerized ... this will require a lot more power from the processors ... but I would think we are at least a decade away from that in most industrialized countries
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That's pretty much it. The desktop computer market and laptops too to a certain extent are like a mature business market with few competing companies and very little disruptive changes. Most home consumers are moving their entertainment and computing needs to smaller, more mobile devices and simpler to use set top boxes. The conventional computing platforms of the last like twenty or so years are still a big market with a lot of customers, but there's slow, predictable growth with fairly routine, incremental releases of technology that's meant more to drive sales than offer customers interesting advancement. Even in the home, it's pretty much dead there too with a little bit of driving force from games and occasional older people buying a new desktop, but game system requirements follow after console life cycles and hardware just kinda falls into step behind it.

Intel's focus on mobile first is just the company keeping its products aimed at growth markets. If there's some kind of benefit to that R&D that trickles into desktop computers then I'm sure they'll take it and use it for marketing, but it isn't that important to anyone anymore.
 
Magnus said:
Yeah, because pure research has never paid off. :rolleyes:
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While the discoveries of such scientific research can end up being the foundation of engineering solutions, the time delay often is too long for corporate investment. Corporate investment requires quantifiable ROI, and often it's impossible to come up with one. This is why pure scientific research relies on government funding, where those funds are allocated as a scientific investment, and not a business investment.

Corporate investment in research are usually more specific, and related to the engineering field that the company is involved in. For example, I have a friend who's master's degree research project in wireless communication is funded by Motorola, a telecommunication company. These are the investments that make more sense for a corporate.
 
Hornet said:
While the discoveries of such scientific research can end up being the foundation of engineering solutions, the time delay often is too long for corporate investment. Corporate investment requires quantifiable ROI, and often it's impossible to come up with one. This is why pure scientific research relies on government funding, where those funds are allocated as a scientific investment, and not a business investment.

Corporate investment in research are usually more specific, and related to the engineering field that the company is involved in. For example, I have a friend who's master's degree research project in wireless communication is funded by Motorola, a telecommunication company. These are the investments that make more sense for a corporate.
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I agree with this. I wouldn't expect a corporation to dump billions into research projects that they do not get any benefit from (ROI or knowledge). Instead, take some tax money and do the research within the government or some other non-profit.
 
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