Intel and the Entire Technology Industry
Have Long Provided Groundbreaking Solutions; Coronavirus is an
Unprecedented Catalyst for Collective Innovation in ‘Tech for
Good’
The following is an opinion editorial by Rick Echevarria of
Intel Corporation.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
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Rick Echevarria is vice president in the
Sales, Marketing and Communications Group and general manager of
the Intel Olympic Program at Intel Corporation. He leads Intel’s
Pandemic Response Technology Initiative. (Credit: Intel
Corporation)
One hundred days ago, our CEO, Bob Swan, announced the Intel
Pandemic Response Technology Initiative. Intel would invest $50
million to combat COVID-19 in ways we knew best: using technology
to study and help with the diagnosis of the coronavirus, helping
disrupted educators and students, and supporting innovative new
ideas and projects.
I’ve had the privilege of leading this initiative and seeing an
extraordinarily committed group of Intel employees, customers and
partners mobilize. In just over three months they have made
possible new and creative uses for our technology to address a
range of challenges. We’ve come a long way, learned a lot and still
have much to do. On behalf of this team – at 100 days in – I wanted
to share some of that journey.
More: Intel Response to COVID-19 Crisis (Press Kit) |
Intel’s PRTI at 100 Days: In Los Angeles, Online Classes that
Inspire
So far, Intel has partnered with over 100 organizations on close
to 200 projects totaling more than $30 million in contributions –
from the original pandemic response to first early steps toward
recovery. In those early days, we provided ventilator manufacturers
with vital parts. We assisted with the creation of virtual
intensive care units.
Today, we’re providing technology and educational content for
students who might otherwise be left behind. We’re aiding
businesses as they take the first steps to re-open safely. And
we’re exploring ways Intel technology and our financial support can
be used in the search for diagnoses, treatments and vaccines.
Our role through the pandemic points out undeniable lessons:
Technology used to its potential can save lives and change lives.
No one can solve these problems alone. And we will never thrive as
we once did if we don’t work with our customers and our communities
to make our world better after we recover.
Three examples show how far we’ve come.
- Telehealth for those who can’t see a doctor and “care at a
distance” for those who are highly contagious save lives. With the
help of supportive regulations and laws, telehealth puts doctors in
contact with patients, even as offices closed. While Providence
treated some of the first U.S. patients with COVID-19 at its
hospitals, a seismic change affected its primary care physicians.
Inside of a week, more than 7,000 physicians caught up on already
operating, but seldom-used, telehealth technology. And within days
of that, Providence saw telehealth visits grow from 50 a day to
about 14,000. Since then, the healthcare provider has been a leader
in providing “care-at-a-distance” – from monitoring ICUs remotely
to decrease the risk of infection, to “hospitals at home” that
allow for remote monitoring for those with high-risk
complications.
- Public-private partnerships are introducing innovative ways to
educate and motivate students and teachers while school buildings
remain closed. New devices and connectivity extend teachers into
students’ homes but keeping lessons fresh and engaging will be key
to educating from a distance. Intel, in partnership with the Los
Angeles Unified School District and ViacomCBS, is bringing together
technologists, educators and entertainers in the creation of new
content that will be built into the curriculum, “What I Do for a
Living.” This is an incentive-based program that educators hope
will inspire, increase engagement and shape future careers for
students in our communities.
- In Houston, one of the largest and most diverse cities in the
country, Intel engaged early. We joined an effort with partners,
including T-Mobile and Microsoft, that spans education, healthcare
and smart and resilient city technology – all with the goal of
building a vibrant tech and innovation community, focused on equity
and digital literacy. Since 2019, Intel and the City of Houston
have delivered smart city solutions through The Ion Smart and
Resilient Cities Accelerator. Water Lens, one of the accelerator’s
startups, offers genetic water testing technology. Water Lens has
secured a City of Houston pilot program to rapidly test for
COVID-19 in wastewater, which could help determine the community’s
true infection rate.
As we’ve moved through the lifecycle of pandemic response, it’s
obvious the coronavirus has changed society, industry and Intel.
Historic calls for change (the end to acts of racism, inequity and
social injustice) in COVID-19’s shadow illustrate how important the
coming few months will be for all of us in the U.S. and around the
world. Collectively, it’s led us at Intel to recognize several
vital lessons.
Technology and its creative use are needed more than
ever: Four months ago, Intel CEO Bob Swan wrote to our
customers: “You provide vital services, tools and infrastructure to
millions of people who are directly struggling with this virus …”
Day in and day out, it has proven true. Inside Intel and with our
customers, we’ve broken down silos to move more quickly than ever.
Newly discovered sources of technology value, like Providence’s
“care at a distance,” prove to be life-changing as patients and
care providers grow comfortable with them. We’ve thought creatively
and pulled together customers to provide services that are saving
lives, educating students and keeping our community infrastructure
solid.
Data collaboration and sharing have never been more
important: Solving the challenges brought to the world by the
coronavirus requires researchers worldwide to work together. The
whole world has become a peer community. There is much we don’t
know about the coronavirus, but with the help of federated
learning, researchers are able to privately share patient data as
they collaborate to create a vaccine or treatment program. They can
access a rich world of data to make better decisions and follow
groundbreaking clues, all without breaching privacy laws. Our
technology to effectively manage, share and collaborate using
important data sets has never been as significant as when
researchers are chasing a deadly virus.
Better health will go hand in hand with recovering
economies: People’s health will be critical to the world’s
economic recovery, just as the economic recovery will be key to
everyone’s health. Going back to doing things the way we did them
before won’t carry over after the coronavirus is solved. I keep
going back to it, but telehealth is a great example. To best
realize its benefits, we need to recognize its success and
acceptance among people seeking physician guidance. Only that will
allow it to thrive.
As a company, we have learned to operate with more empathy,
agility and velocity. We look at our products not for what we know
they can do, but for what they might be able to do in a changed
world. Outside of our walls, we have come together in new ways with
customers, partners and the community – and we’ve seen what a
difference working together can make when we all think and act
creatively.
We won’t forget these lessons. They will shape our approach, as
we press forward with our goals for the next decade.
Life will be different for everyone around the world after the
coronavirus is history. Doctors and patients will communicate from
a greater distance. Educators will find lessons in distance
learning to make online classes more effective and meaningful.
Cures for many more diseases will come from the private, safe and
efficient sharing of data.
Our Pandemic Response Technology Initiative can’t solve all of
the challenges we’re facing, but what we learn and what we teach
others after this event will create a strong foundation for the
future. It’s inspiring to see how our technology – and that of the
broader high-tech industry – will make enriching lives (even in a
world as challenged as it is today) possible.
Rick Echevarria is vice president in the Sales, Marketing and
Communications Group and general manager of the Intel Olympic
Program at Intel Corporation. He leads Intel’s Pandemic Response
Technology Initiative.
About Intel
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating
world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches
lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the
design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our
customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the
cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash
the potential of data to transform business and society for the
better. To learn more about Intel’s innovations, go to
newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.
© Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo and other Intel marks
are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other
names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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Laurie Smith DeJong 503-313-6891
laurie.smith.dejong@intel.com
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