[Updated Feb 25] — Intel announced a Developer Program for IoT, which will offer 5,000 Arduino-compatible Galileo SBC-based IoT development kits, plus hackathons with prizes.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Intel is continuing to push the Internet of Things (IoT) angle hard, along with announcing a new 64-bit, 22nm smartphone SoC called the Intel Atom Z3480 (“Merrifield”). On the IoT side, the chipmaker announced an “Intel Developer Program for Internet of Things” aimed at hobbyists, students, and entrepreneurial developers. The announcement follows up on Intel’s CES announcements on IoT, including a tiny “Edison” module for wearables that runs Linux on a new dual-core Quark SoC, as well as an upcoming smartwatch, headset, and other wearable devices.

Intel has previously included its embedded-oriented Intel Atom E3800 (“Bay Trail-I”) processor under the IoT umbrella, along with the lower-power Quark processor (shown at the right), but the new developer program appears to focus exclusively on the Quark. Intel is more specifically seeking developers for its Quark-based, Arduino-compatible Galileo, an open source single board computer it announced in October. The company is now preparing an Intel Galileo Development Kit for IoT that it will give away to 5,000 developers who sign up for one of the 20 IDP for IoT developer events it plans to host this year.

 
IoT Explorer Challenge

Galileo developers who train at the events will be encouraged to join a new IoT Explorer Challenge, defined as a “global hackathon series for the Galileo, featuring prizes and “go-to-market support.” Prizes include cash, a polar expedition by Quark Expeditions, a Himalayas Heli Safari tour and a Seven Wonders of the World tour.

Intel Galileo SBC, front and back
(click image to enlarge)

The Intel Galileo Development Program Kit for IoT will include the $80 Galileo SBC, which includes the original single-core, 400MHz Quark X1000 SoC 400MHz. The The Linux-ready Galileo ships with 256MB of DRAM, 512KB of SRAM, 8MB of NOR flash, and a microSD slot.

Other Galileo features include a 10/100 Ethernet port, USB 2.0 host and client ports, a JTAG port, serial ports, GPIO, and analog inputs. For expansion, the 100 x 70mm board offers both a mini-PCIe slot and Arduino circuitry with support for Arduino 1.0 pinout shield expansion.

In its IoT kit, Intel has packaged the board with a variety of development tools, licensed here for non-commercial use. These include the Yocto Linux Application Developer Toolkit, Intel System Studio, and Wind River Workbench.

Intel has also made Wind River VxWorks available, the first time we’ve heard of Quark support for any other OS aside from Linux. This is not surprising, however, as the VxWorks RTOS, which is owned by Intel subsidiary Wind River, would likely make a good fit for the Quark. The Yocto-based Wind River Linux was not listed as being part of the bundle, although the aforementioned Yocto toolkit may possibly be based on it.

 
Galileo-focused academic and development programs

Other IDP for IOT programs include an academic program linked to the Galileo kit, and various Galileo linked development projects. These include an IoT Analytics Platform as a Service project, a Mashery API Network, and an IoT Developer Zone:

• Academic program — Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, University of California, San Diego, and three Brazilian universities — University of Campinas, Federal University of São Carlos, and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – will participate in an IoT for Universities program using the Galileo board. The program is run through the Intel Software Academic Program, and is part of a previously announced plan to seed 50,000 Galileo boards in universities around the world. Universities will be able to gain access to hardware/software kits, technical support and sample codes through the Intel Developer Zone.

• IoT Analytics Platform as a Service — This emerging cloud-based data processing platform integrates with the IoT Analytics Agent on the Galileo board, which “ingests and transfers data securely from sensor hubs to the cloud,” says Intel. The Apache Hadoop based cloud platform “scales and secures growing volumes of IoT data using the Intel Data Platform,” says the company. The IoT Analytics software Platform as a Service enables IoT applications to respond intelligently to events with for collecting, transforming, storing, and visualizing sensor data. A rules engine helps trigger actions based on event patterns.

• Mashery API Network — The Mashery network will provide access to more than 50 Mashery-powered RESTful APIs using a single ID.

• IoT Developer Zone — Tying all these IoT projects together is a new online software community with forums and other resources called the IoT Developer Zone. Here, developers can find out about all of the above projects and programs as well as preview the upcoming Intel Galileo Development Program Kit for IOT.

 

Further information

More details regarding Intel’s IoT Explorer Challenge is available at Intel’s website, here.