Intel officials reportedly will be showing off new wearable computing devices powered by the chip maker’s Quark processing technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 this week.
Speaking to the Website Recode, CEO Brian Krzanich said the vendor at CES will announce its latest Quark chip and will demonstrate some wearable devices that Intel engineers have created. Krzanich didn’t elaborate on what the devices will be, but is pushing the idea of the x86-based Quark technology being a driver of the burgeoning wearable computing trend.
“Our view is that Quark can make almost everything smart,” the CEO told the Website. “We’ll show you some things that you would never have thought could become smart and communicate.”
Google Glass is probably the most high-profile example of wearable devices, which also include fitness and activity trackers as well as a growing line of smartwatches, such as offerings from Samsung and Qualcomm’s Toq. Analysts expect the market to boom in the coming years. Berg Insight in October said shipments of wearable devices hit 8.3 million units in 2012 and will grow to 64 million units in 2017. Juniper Research in July predicted 150 million units will ship in 2018.
Device and component makers are all looking to gain traction in the market. Broadcom is developing a smart chip platform for wearable devices, and ARM in September bought Cadence’s PANTA display controller technology, a move that will help the company’s efforts in high-end, low-power devices.
Krzanich, at the company’s Intel Developer Forum in September, introduced the Quark family of processors, which are smaller and more energy-efficient than Intel’s Atom platform. The Quark chips are aimed at the Internet of things and wearable devices.
The wearable devices will be part of a larger presentation by Krzanich during his keynote address at CES. The CEO said he also will talk about Intel’s efforts in mobile devices, including tablets.
“What you will see at CES [are] tablets that are doing some things that you didn’t think possible,” he told Recode. “We’ll bring some new innovations in imaging, for example.”
Krzanich is scheduled to speak at CES Jan. 6.