Intel pledges $300m for diversity in tech sector

Intel has announced a pledge of $300million to encourage greater diversity in the technology sector.

The the computer chip multinational corporation hopes to attract more women and black and ethnic minority (BAM) individuals within a five-year timeframe to result in a more representative workforce.

If successful, Intel said this would mean an increase of at least 14 per cent in the diversity of its employee makeup. Technology is a sector heavily populated by white and Asian men.

A 2013 diversity report put Intel’s workforce makeup as just 24 per cent women and 14 per cent non-Asian minorities; including 4 per cent black and African American, and 8 per cent Hispanic and Latino.

Speaking about the plan at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said: "This isn't just good business. It's the right thing to do. When we all come together and commit, we can make the impossible possible."

Mr Krzanich impressed that it was not enough to merely talk about diversity without actively creating change.

The $300 million will be used to fund engineering scholarships and to support majority black colleges and higher education institutions, he said.

In addition, the tech sector had to move to make the working environment attractive to women, to prevent women entering the industry and then leaving due to an overly masculine culture.

To this end, Krzanich said Intel would also be aiming to introduce more women to the games industry, after the so-called Gamergate furore, which saw harassment campaigns levelled against female games developers, gamers, and commentators.

Intel became wrapped up in Gamergate when the company, lobbied by male internet users, withdrew advertising from the Gamasutra website which had published an essay about the movement by a feminist critic.

As well as his comments on improving diversity, Mr Krzanich also previewed new upcoming products at the trade show, most relating to the “Internet of Things”: the term used to describe smart technology which permeated everyday life, including new sensor technology. Intel also debuted a robot with the face of a human and cognisant drones that could navigate obstacle courses without intervention.

– Guardian Service