The story Intel and Linux have to tell

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Recently, Linux announced the Dronecode open source software platform project for drones. In this project, one of the most dedicated members is Intel, and the other is China's Baidu.

Although the Wintel Alliance is a combination that the industry talks about a lot, in fact, in addition to cooperating with Microsoft, Intel has always invested heavily in Linux. Intel has always been a platinum member of the Linux Foundation.

Intel is the second largest sponsor of the Linux Foundation in the world. As early as 2009, Intel became the second largest provider of Linux kernel code with a contribution share of 6.9%. At the end of last year, Intel released a 5,000-page Haswell document. The Open Source Graphics Programmer's Reference Manual covers 2013 Haswell HD Graphics, Iris Graphics and Iris Pro Graphics, and its content covers mode settings, 3D engines and GPGPU, performance accelerators and video acceleration.

Why does Intel want to invest in Linux? Because Linux is a very important operating system, which plays a vital role in Intel's chip sales.

The Linux operating system is a clone of the UNIX operating system. The Linux system was born on October 5, 1991 (the first time it was officially announced). Later, with the help of the Internet and the joint efforts of computer enthusiasts around the world, it has become the most widely used UNIX-like operating system in the world today, and the number of users is still growing rapidly.

The Linux system is open source and is designed and implemented by thousands of programmers around the world.

Linux is famous for its efficiency and flexibility. Its modular design allows it to run on expensive workstations as well as cheap PCs, with multi-tasking and multi-user capabilities. Because of these features, Linux has surrounded us even though many personal computers are still running Windows.

1. Android phone

The popular Android mobile phone system is based on Linux. 550,000 Android phones are activated every day. 550,000 phones, right? There must be a little dark shadow behind the glamorous Android, laughing secretly!

Although most mobile phones are based on ARM architecture, due to long-term investment in Linux and Android, Intel's X86 architecture can basically run Android system perfectly. Except for a few games optimized for the platform, there will not be too many problems.

Although Intel's current share of the mobile market is very small, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said in an exclusive interview with the media in China in January 2013 that Intel is a very strong competitor. One of the reasons is that Intel's compatibility with Android is getting better and better, and its cooperation with Google is getting closer and closer.

2. Linux powers most of the world’s supercomputers

In the field of scientific computing, Linux occupies an absolutely important position, and these supercomputers are all CPU-intensive. China's domestic supercomputer Tianhe-2 is equipped with 32,000 Intel Ivy Bridge processors and 48,000 Xeon Phi coprocessors.

According to Tianji.com, the latest ranking of the world's fastest supercomputers was released at this year's Linux Enterprise End-User Summit. In the ranking of the world's top 500 fastest supercomputers, Linux not only occupies a dominant position, but also leaves its competitors far behind. Among the world's 500 fastest computers, the powerful open source operating system Linux occupies 485 positions. Among the remaining 15 computers, 13 run Unix systems.

These high-end processors are financial backers for Intel, and they must be well served, so optimizing Linux to make supercomputer development easier has become Intel's responsibility.

3. Linux supports most web applications and data centers

Thanks to cloud computing and big data, Intel's data center business has been booming in recent years, and most data centers use Linux as their supporting operating system.

Google, Facebook, Amazon, China's BAT, almost all Internet companies use Linux extensively on their servers.

The various tools and software that come with Linux provide the various services we enjoy on the Internet: including search, shopping, data storage, data mining, and more.

The best hardware to work with these Linux software is the processor manufactured by Intel. In order to prevent data centers from using other companies' products as much as possible, Intel must optimize its hardware under Linux.

4. Linux is already everywhere

In addition to the above areas, Linux is also used in many other places.

Most air traffic control systems also use Linux to ensure navigation safety. Most stock trading systems are based on Linux.

In July 2011, Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer, joined the Linux Foundation. Toyota's in-vehicle infotainment and communication systems use Linux. Now all cars on the road are equipped with Linux.

Linux is so important that if your hardware doesn't work well with it, you may not be able to sell your product, so Intel will invest heavily in Linux.

With the advent of the Internet of Things era, Intel has begun investing in Linux in the field of the Internet of Things in order to avoid making the same mistake as missing out on the mobile market opportunity.

In addition to developing hardware products such as the Quark micro PC, Intel also cannot lose the initiative of the Linux platform. This is why Intel will join hands with the Linux Foundation to invest in the drone open source software platform project Dronecode.