Intel imagines a world with 15 Billion connected devices by 2015. As they see it, all that belongs to Atom, their mobile processor that already has over 700 design engagements. Stating that the “most profound technologies are the ones that disappear”, Pat Gelsinger Senior VP and GM of the Digital Enterprise Group for Intel set the tone for his IDF keynote speech with highlights from a future world of mobile computing.

Walking onto the stage through a mock front door, he demonstrated how embedded technology will integrate into our everyday lives. By demonstrating specific apps such as face recognition, a scene played out with the house welcoming him to the stage. In a humorous take on the ‘you got mail’ tagline, the ‘house’ offered that he had some two thousand audience members.

Further demonstrations highlighted how the Embedded Internet will eventually become ubiquitous. A BMW was on the stage to provide a demonstration of In-Vehicle Entertainment, with monitors installed in the head rests for back seat viewing. Using a 3D nav system from Planet 9 Studios, the audience was treated to a display showcasing how voice recognition could interact with the technology acting as a sort of virtual tour guide.

The next generation of Intel processors, Nehalem, features increased power management and improved virtualization. What they are calling Turbo Mode describes a process in which unused cores are detected and then turned off. Stemming from the simple concept of “shutting things off when they are not in use”, Turbo Mode distributes extra power to the cores that are in use. Calling the breakthrough “generational”, expect to see this utilized in future processors.