Intel rolls out innovation programme at SA universities

Tech company Intel South Africa is spurring innovation via its Galileo Board global outreach programme, which wants to offer students from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and University of Cape Town (UCT) a simple and cost-effective development environment.

The Galileo Development Board is a microcontroller board based on the Intel Quark SoC X1000 application processor, a 32-bit Intel Pentium brand system on a chip (SoC). If you didn’t catch that, it’s a simple, cheap piece of hardware that can be used to programme and make various kinds of useful things.

As part of the outreach programme, UJ and UCT have received 40 Galileo boards. Intel hopes to enable students to create locally relevant technology solutions to address local socio-economic challenges existing in their respective communities.

Similar to the popular microcomputer Raspberry Pi, the applications for this kind of device are nearly endless. Over on our sister site, Gearburn, we rounded up some quirky but innovative uses for the Raspberry Pi that simply highlight the potential of these boards.

These examples include everything from an automated dog-food dispenser to creating your own water-quality monitor within a protected wetlands area.

Intel hopes that these boards will also empower universities to help foster programming and technology development skills among their students.

“Intel aspires to make a difference to millions of Africans through relevant content and industry-leading programmes such as the Galileo initiative to provide the continent’s inhabitants with the tools they need to thrive and grow in modern society,” says Thabani Khupe, Corporate Affairs Director at Intel South Africa. “For Intel, it’s much more than simply about providing technology — it’s about empowering bright students and assisting them in creating a brighter tomorrow for the people in their respective communities.”