SAN FRANCISCO - The world's largest chipmaker Intel Corp has decided to resign from the One Laptop Per Child Foundation's board, meaning that the project to distribute $100 laptops to children in developing countries no longer has Intel's support.
The main reason behind Intel's decision to drop out is thought to be OLPC Nicholas P. Negroponte's insistence that Intel support the project exclusively and abandon the Classmate PC project. Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy confirmed this and said the decision to part ways was mutual.
"We have long believed there is no single solution to the needs of children in emerging and underdeveloped markets," he added. "If Intel were to exclusively support the XO over other platforms, it would force us to abandon our relationships and commitments with local manufacturers and suppliers."
Intel joined the project started out by its critic Negroponte in July last year. The latter had accused the company of trying to replicate his ideas in the Classmate venture.
One Laptop per Child offers a laptop called XO to children in under-developed and developing countries at a low cost. The project was initially envisaged as a $100 laptop one, but inflation and a weak dollar almost doubled the price. Uruguay is the first country to order laptops under this project, which also has the support of Google, AMD, eBay and News Corp.
