WCIT 2006: Sharing Knowledge, Ideas and a Desire to Connect the World
6/20/2006
The curtains have closed on this year's World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2006), but the ideas and discussions that arose from the conference are anything but finished. With digital inclusion a primary track for the show and more than 2000 international leaders present, the dialogue on closing the digital divide was spirited and thought-provoking. We want to take this opportunity to briefly summarize some of the highlights of this year's conference for AMD's 50x15 Initiative and for the future of digital inclusion.
As the pinnacle sponsor of this year's conference and a leader in providing computing solutions to emerging markets, AMD had a responsibility to share the knowledge it has gained through the efforts of 50x15 with attending international leaders. We encouraged others to focus on this worldwide issue and showcased examples of technology that are currently connecting the world. AMD CEO Hector Ruiz kicked off the conference with a keynote that encouraged others to join AMD's 50x15 Initiative and help bridge the digital divide. It is our hope that the results of this call to action are long-term and widespread.
AMD's Personal Internet Communicators (PICs) played a large role in providing connectivity for conference delegates. Both at the AMD booth and around the Austin Convention Center, PICs were available to the more than 2000 delegates from more than 80 countries to test drive and explore. While the PIC is not large in size, it is large in popularity with many first-time computer users. As one of many devices in 50x15's technology platform, it brings the affordability of connectivity into countries around the world.
In addition to delivering the opening keynote and letting delegates test drive AMD technology at WCIT, we also shared many stories about how 50x15 solutions are enabling connectivity around the globe. We shared experiences in Brazil, where AMD technology powers government sponsored kiosks and has enabled Internet access for a very popular after-school program. We spoke of connecting families in the Caribbean, Uganda and India, college students and researchers in Russia, and school children in four continents. There is much activity in progress, but as we expressed at WCIT, this is just the beginning.
There are many factors that determine whether a conference is a success, one of the most important being the people. AMD had the honor of hosting Veronica Kgabo, principal of Diepsloot Combined School in South Africa and Vicki Baldwin, principal of Garza Independent School in Austin, Texas. These two women come from different continents, but share a common goal of empowering their students by providing them access to technology and the Internet.
Also in attendance were Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of MIT's One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative and Theogene Rudasingwa, African scholar and friend of AMD's 50x15 Initiative with direct experience in the challenges of uplifting the African continent. For information on how 50x15 is collaborating with Negroponte to make the OLPC vision a reality, as well as Dr. Rudasingwa's captivating article on his life experiences and the future of Africa, please visit www.50x15.com.
If there can be one takeaway message from the conference it is that we must unite to bridge the digital divide. Due to the different needs of emerging markets, developing a single solution to solve this issue is not the answer. To be successful, we must continue to model our approach based on themes that were evident at WCIT 2006: collaboration, cooperation, diversity and innovation.