KAISERSLAUTERN, SAARBRÜCKEN, BREMEN, and BERLIN, Dec. 9 -- Intel, the world market leader for semiconductors, is now a shareholder of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). In December 2009, Intel joined the circle of industrial partners, comprising among others Daimler, BMW, SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post, Microsoft, Bertelsmann, IDS Scheer, Harting, Deutsche Messe, Ricoh and EADS Astrium.

DFKI aggregates research excellence and application orientation. In May 2009, Justin Rattner, director of the corporate technology group and Intel chief technology officer, had already visited DFKI for the opening of the Intel Visual Computing Institute (Intel VCI). On Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, Joseph Schütz, vice president of Intel Labs, signed the contract for the acquisition of a DFKI company stake. The signing of the contract also took place in the context of the Intel Visual Computing Conference hosted in Saarbrücken, Germany, from Dec. 8-10, 2009.

"We are excited about the opportunities for networking and collaboration with DFKI's scientists on a broad research agenda, including computational statistics, interface and language technologies, among others," says Joseph Schütz. "There are many research synergies between us, and we are looking forward to working closely with DFKI."

"The acquisition of a DFKI company stake by Intel is proof for the economic and scientific significance of DFKI. It is also a success for the Saarland, once more attesting its vibrancy as a highly attractive region for Information and Communication Technologies, both nationally and internationally. The interlocking of basic research and application orientation on the campus of Saarland University is a role model. That's why the Saarland supports the expansion of DFKI with a 50 percent funding of € 2.25 million from European structural subsidies, and that's why Intel gets involved with DFKI, and together with the University they bear the Intel Visual Computing Institute," says Dr. Christoph Hartmann, Minister for Economic Affairs and Science of the Saarland.

"We are especially proud of the fact that Intel decided to commit themselves to this innovation alliance with DFKI. For DFKI, Intel as a cooperation and project partner is the ideal complement to the hitherto existing circle of shareholders," says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, CEO of DFKI. "DFKI-innovations can now be realized in commercial applications and brought to the consumer market even easier. Joint areas of interests are, among others, visualization and especially the 3D Internet of the future, where 3-dimensional worlds can be experienced."

"Together with Intel DFKI wants to further explore the basic technologies for the 3D Internet, additionally dynamizing the development in Information Technology. DFKI and Intel employees will work hand in hand at DFKI Saarbrücken," says Prof. Dr. Philipp Slusallek, head of the research department Agents and Simulated Reality at DFKI and one of the initiators of the Intel Visual Computing Institute.

More powerful computation and simulation technologies, the availability of highly-parallel hardware, 3D displays and input devices have paved the way for simulated reality applications in the industry. At DFKI, the next step is already being done: the most advanced visualization techniques combine with methods of artificial intelligence. True-to-life reproduction of device behavior, machines or traffic, or the precise simulation of illumination scenarios may support human training in non-existing surroundings and dangerous situations, for example.

About the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)

Since its formation in 1988, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH), with facilities in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken, Bremen and a project office in Berlin, has become the world's biggest research center in the area of innovative software technology for commercial applications. The overall annual budget in 2008 was more than € 27 million. DFKI projects target the whole spectrum of application-oriented fundamental research to customer-oriented development of product functions. Currently, more than 300 employees from 46 countries are doing research on innovative software solutions in the fields of Knowledge Management, Multi-agent Technology, Simulated Reality, Language Technology, Intelligent User Interfaces, Image Understanding and Pattern Recognition, Robotics, Safe and Secure Cognitive Systems, Augmented Reality and Information Systems. The successful results: more than 50 professors and more than 50 spin-off companies have emanated from DFKI, creating more than 1,300 jobs for highly-trained employees.

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Source: German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)