Gregory Bryant, Executive Vice President And GM, Intel Client Computing Group
Semiconductor industry giant, Intel posted strong first quarter earnings last week, despite the extended global chip supply chain shortages the Tech sector is currently experiencing. One of the highlights of its earnings announcement was the company’s PC client business that chalked up major 38 percent year-on-year growth, punctuated by a massive uptick in laptop product revenue, which was up 54 percent year-on-year. Sure, this growth may have been driven partially by the pandemic, that seemingly drove home the fact that PCs are essential communication, collaboration and creation tools for so many of us in everyday life. However, Intel’s stronghold on the laptop market is also driven by an initiative and focus on complete platform experiences, not just processors and chipsets. One of the leaders behind that initiative is Executive VP and GM of Intel’s Client Computing Group, Gregory Bryant, or GB as he’s referred to inside the company. GB led Intel’s Project Athena effort that ultimately resulted in its new Evo branding for laptops, which are certified to meet stringent usability and quality criteria for responsiveness, connectivity, battery life, visual acuity and other important metrics. I had a chance to catch-up with GB regarding his next mission, which is an extension of Project Athena and Evo-certified devices, that he refers to as “Purposeful Computing.”
The notion of “purposeful computing” may sound like corporate thought leadership kind of stuff, but when I spoke with GB about his company’s goals and his personal philosophy in this regard, I came to realize it’s anything but. GB spoke about Intel’s current commitment to Evo certified laptops with Project Athena, where the company has three labs across the globe that are setup to certify partner components and solutions for power consumption and quality, to deliver for the Evo supply chain. Bryant’s enthusiasm was obvious, not just because of current growth and adoption in the PC market, but also because of the partnerships the company is putting in place to help execute on its purposeful computing goals, with future premier partner announcements forthcoming. In fact, Intel will be focusing on bringing in new technology partners that will enable these purposeful designs.
Purposeful Innovation That Caters To The Way People Live, Create And Work
When I asked for more specifics, Bryant quickly dove into phone integration as an example. At one point, GB noted, there was a narrative that the phone and PC were in conflict or competitive in some way, where in reality they’re very much complementary devices. People have phones and they also have PCs, both serving essential functionality and purposes. “So the question becomes, how do we bring these ecosystems together and how do we make the phone and the PC work better together? And there’s a ton of innovation to bring, to blend those experiences more seamlessly, between PC and phone, for example. So that would be mean you’re going to work with players in the industry who also build phones. You’re also going to work with ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) that develop software and services for mobile, etc., all so you can enable people to stay in their flow more seamlessly, in the roles they play throughout their day,” noted Bryant.
Intel's Gregory Bryant Talks Tiger Lake And Intel Evo
GB also spoke about new form factors and devices types that serve various users and use cases, from ultralight laptops, to 2-in-1 convertibles, to workstation class content creation machines, to gaming-focused solutions. The goal being to cater custom, purposeful solutions to real, identifiable human requirements; not just processors and platforms, but a complete, refined experiential computing solution that’s purpose-built for the various major user types and needs. Bryant was also quick to point out that these purposeful computing solutions and innovations can’t add complexity, but again he focused on “seamless” experiences that feel more natural and help people get things done more easily, and also achieve what they couldn’t otherwise have before. “It’s about focusing on people’s essential needs,” not just performance metrics, noted Bryant.
In a LinkedIn blog post today, the Intel client computing chief spoke of a statistic that I found surprising. Globally, the number of PCs per one hundred students and teachers remains in the single digits (less than 10 PCs per 100 students/teachers). I was taken aback somewhat by this factoid, and I asked Bryant what his company’s goal would be to rectify this, as PCs are obviously essential tools for education. His response was that “we need to strive for a 1-to-1 ratio, that’s the right answer.” I agreed and it’s a lofty goal to be sure, but GB noted that Intel is all about taking on challenges and doing things that are hard. He continued further and said that he also felt it is Intel’s responsibility to help educate and shape curriculum, to teach critical skills for tomorrow’s workforce. Bryant spoke of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) skills program, a 2 year degree, that Intel is involved in at Maricopa County Community College in Arizona, one of the largest community colleges in the U.S. He noted that it was a great example of helping not just with devices but holistically, with company initiatives that span from elementary education to the college level.
The Road Ahead Beyond Intel Evo
In my short time chatting with GB, it was clear that he’s a company leader that thinks about innovation on a number of levels, not just what Intel can bring to the table in terms of chips and systems, but complete platform experiences and enablement. For him it’s about more than just X86 processors and supporting chipsets, but how to create innovative devices that serve people better and with greater ease of use than they do today. In my opinion, this mindset and the execution on innovations born from it, is what differentiates Intel from some of its competitors. It should also help drive broader PC platform innovation and purpose-built experiences for the evolution of the PC moving forward. And so it seems Bryant’s Intel Evo initiative and vision certainly isn’t done evolving yet, not by a long shot.
