Like many other leading tech firms, Intel regularly ventures outside its comfort zone in pursuit of new revenue opportunities. The chip maker maintains a dedicated investment fund for backing startups in promising markets, while its engineering division usually runs at least several projects that fall under Google’s definition of a moonshot. One such initiative appears…
Tag: 3d printer
Microsoft is trying to get into 3D printing
Look no further than a company’s patent trail to understand its expansion plans. If some moonshot technology suddenly comes up in a filing and never resurfaces again, it’s likely just the legal department trying to make the most out of employees’ overflowing imagination. But if that technology starts appearing in more applications over time, then you may have just stumbled…
Microsoft is developing a service to automate 3D printing
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella apparently had a lot more in mind than cloud services and mobility when he laid out his plan to “reinvent productivity” following his appointment last year. A newly released patent filing suggests that Redmond is working on 3D fabrication software that aims to extend that vision to the maker community. The…
Inside Autodesk's 3D printer plans
When Autodesk debuted its first 3D printer earlier this year and released the blueprints for free, the move was seen as little more than a sophisticated attempt at raising awareness about the likewise open-source modelling software it introduced for makers in conjunction. But in retrospect, the launch marked the first act in a far more…