Intel Launches Hadoop-Powered Big Data Platform

Expanding its investment in a growing a big data portfolio Intel (INTC) launched the Intel Data Platform, a software suite based on open source technologies designed to make it easier and faster for companies to move from big data to big discoveries. Built on the Intel distribution of Apache Hadoop, the new platform features several new data processing capabilities including streaming data processing, interactive analytics, and graph processing.

"As big data shifts from hype to reality, Intel is helping to break down the barriers to adoption by easing complexity and creating more value," said Boyd Davis, vice president and general manager of Intel's Datacenter Software Division. "Much like an operating system for big data processing, the Intel Data Platform supports a wide variety of applications while providing improved security, reliability and peace of mind to customers using open source software."

Intel entered the Hadoop software market about one year ago, citing its potential as a transformational tool for big data. It launched with immediate support from many vendors, such as Cisco, Red Hat, Cray and Supermicro.

Two Deployment Options

The new Intel Data Platform will be available in Enterprise Edition and Premium Editions. The Enterprise Edition will offer full platform capabilities as a free software product to customers who can support their deployment. The Premium Edition will be available for purchase on an annual subscription basis and will provide additional technical features including enhanced automation, proactive security fixes and alerts, ongoing feature enhancements, and live telephone technical support.

A new Intel Data Platform: Analytics Toolkit (AT) provides a graph analytics and predictive modeling environment to help businesses uncover valuable insights from hidden relationships within data. The toolkit provides a foundation of common algorithms, such as graphs and network-based clustering, that IT teams can build on and customize with domain-specific code. The easy-to-deploy algorithms are broad enough to be applied to multiple industries, including financial services, healthcare and retail. The toolkit will also provide an enhanced development framework for unifying graph analytics and classical machine learning to ease the programming effort. The Intel Data Platform AT is available in beta now and expected to be commercially available by the end of the second quarter.

Real World Examples

Intel has already worked with companies of all sizes on implementing its new platform. Using  Intel-based hardware and software solutions, China Mobile Guangdong was able to improve billing processes and customer service by enabling online bill payment as well as the retrieval of up to six months' worth of call data records in near real time. China Mobile Guangdong's detailed billing statement inquiry system can now retrieve 300,000 records per second and insert 800,000 records per second or the equivalent of 30 terabytes of subscriber billing data per month.

Intel also worked with Living Naturally, a retail technology provider, to develop business analytics algorithms based on the Intel Distribution for Apache Hadoop to help retailers better manage supply chain and product promotions. The algorithms analyze a mix of internal and external data, such as social media, search engines and weather sites, to provide retailers with better insight and help determine when to reorder products in optimal quantities to minimize surpluses, shortages and shelf life expirations.