Intel has inaugurated a $300 million Ultrabook Fund in an effort to accelerate development of the recently announced form factor.
According to Santa Clara, Ultrabook systems will combine the performance and capabilities of today’s laptops with tablet-like features – ultimately delivering a “highly responsive and secure experience” in a thin, light and elegant design at mainstream prices.
As such, Intel wants to invest in companies that develop devices with a focus on next-gen capabilities, such as longer battery life, innovative physical designs and improved storage capacity.
“The overall goal of the fund, which will be invested over the next 3-4 years, is to create a cycle of innovation and system capabilities for this new and growing category of mobile devices,” explained Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital.
There are apparently three key phases in Intel’s strategy to create the ultimate Ultrabook: second-gen core processors (due in 2011), Ivy Bridge integrated chipsets (2012) and Haswell (2013), the last of which is expected to significantly reduce x86 power consumption.
