CAIRO: "I look at the same data as everybody else and I come up with a different answer, said William A. Swope, Intel s corporate vice president, when asked to name the reason behind his success. "Technology can make a difference, Swope, who is also general manager of Intel s corporate affairs group, told Daily News Egypt. Since joining Intel in 1979, Swope has held numerous roles including manufacturing technology planning, strategic product planning and product management. He currently manages global business units at Intel and is responsible for worldwide public policy, education, community engagement, public affairs, social responsibility and the Intel Foundation. Since its founding in 1968, Intel has dedicated much of its resources to improving education worldwide, partnering with governments and organizations to equip the youth with ICT skills. This month, Intel celebrated the second anniversary of the Egyptian Education Initiative, which has provided 1,000 computers to 15 schools in Egypt, equipped with educational contents and networks to create a one-on-one learning methodology. The initiative has also trained 150,000 teachers in Egypt on ways to integrate technology into the classrooms. Intel invests more than $100 million annually to improve education in over 50 countries. Swope admits that Intel "is just one private company, but we can train teachers and show there's a difference in how people teach and learn. He also hopes that with the success of this initiative "it will inspire other companies to help every child in the world receive a better education. Despite the shortcomings of education in the region, the Middle East has massive IT potential. Egypt, Swope says, is an interesting place geographically in terms of trade and commerce, which gives it a comparative advantage in the region. "The use of computers is low in the country now, with PC penetration being around only 10 percent, which [means] the country has potential, he said. Egypt's IT future looks bright, he says, because of its added potential in the field of renewable energy. "Egypt has wind and sun, which puts it in a good position and it hasn't used all its ICT capacity, he said. "All these factors combined will definitely lead to something positive happening. Swope participated in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East held in Sharm El-Sheikh last week. He led the discussion on "The Hyperlinked World scenario - a technological view of the world in 2025, which will see people ultra-connected through technologies like Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and WiMAX. Optimized transport and communications will ideally work together to create a hyper-connected world where boundaries are erased and citizens of the world are mobile - which is very close to Intel s own vision. "In 2025, Intel will be a very different company because our products will be different, he told Daily News Egypt. In 20 years, he said, instant face recognition software, instant translation software and gadgets similar to the ones in sci-fi movies will be dominant. "Everything about communication will be easy and nearly half the planet will be connected, he said. "In that context, Intel will be building very unique products and small devices that will enable these communications he said. Working towards that goal, Intel recently launched a technology package that includes five new Intel Atom processors and their new Intel Centrino Atom processor technology for MIDs. MIDs will allow consumers to communicate, entertain, access information and be productive on-the-go, and are expected to represent a new class of next-generation, internet-based portable video players, navigation devices, converged tablets and other consumer products. "The Atom will change the way computers work, through its cheap price, low energy consumption and small size, Khaled Elamrawi, Intel country manager for Egypt, Levant and North Africa, told Daily News Egypt.
