Intel inside Indian villages

New Delhi: On Friday, Intel Corporation unveiled a PC platform that has been developed especially for India.

The world leader in silicon innovation has also introducd a special program called Jaagruti, whose aim is to empower rural communities in the country.

The program will support the spread of rural Internet kiosks based on the PC and will speed up access to information and communications technologies (ICT) in villages across India.

The new Ruggidized PC Platform as it is being called is equipped to operate in a community setting and at the same time adjust itself to the ever-changing environment of the country.

The platform was designed after intesive research of the ethnic community of the country.

According to Intel's research, there was a clear desire to understand and grasp technology among the people who live in remote areas in India. However, things like weather conditions and an unreliable electricity supply.

The Community PC has been developed to be a fully functional, expandable and shared-access computing solution. It is a highly reliable, manageable system that supports remote diagnostics and control features under low power requirements.

It includes the following:

• Ruggedized chassis: The chassis has been designed to withstand dust, temperatures and high humidity. It has a removable dust filter and integrated air fan to regulate the temperature of the motherboard. The chassis is designed to keep the motherboard cool at temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius and the PC resistant to humidity levels of 70 to 85 RH (Relative Humidity).

• CPSU: The PC is equipped with a Customized Power Supply Unit which is comprised of an Integrated Power Supply and the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) unit, which allow the PC to maintain continuous load power in the event of a power outage.

• Low power consumption: The total power consumption of all peripherals is less than 100 watts.

• Access Control: The platform comes installed with a certificate-based access, allowing banks to verify the validity of installment payments against the purchase of the PCs.

The kiosks are operated by locals and will provide people with services such as e-Government forms, land records and marriage licenses among other things.