Intel lays its cash on the digital home

Intel named the first four beneficiaries of its $200m Intel Digital Home Fund today at the Intel Developer forum in Barcelona.

The chipmaker never reveals the size of its investments but a spokesman helpfully said that its typical investments were for sums between $1m-$10m.

Three of the investees have different bits of the ultrawideband (UWB)  market that will allow people to move digital content – music, hi-definition video and so on - from one room to another or just outside the door.

The fourth is Trymedia Systems, which makes security software to protect video games from piracy. The company also operates a website which game-makers can use to seal their products. The company is based in California but has its research engineering team in Spain.

The three UWB innovators are: Digital 5 provides networking technology which is used in high volume consumer products; Staccato Communications is afabless semiconductor company dedicated to developing a CMOS (and therefore cheap) single-chip UWB for high data rates and Israeli company Wisair, which has developed a regulation satisfying wireless UWB transceiver.

Before Intel set up its specific home fund, the company had made four investments from its general capital fund. The company's aim, according to Intel Capital president John Miner is to enable people to enjoy digital content on multiple devices in the home and beyond.

Almost without exception, PC makers and other hardware companies have been rushing to jump on the consumer electronics bandwagon. Most have tried before, without any conspicuous success but the iPod shows that it can be done and they are all now aiming hopefully at the unwired house.