Large Technology Companies Courting Rural Poor

Mixing philanthropy and business, technology giants such as Intel are setting their sights on low-income, rural people in developing countries, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Companies are showing villagers in Shijingwei, China, how to find market prices online for sugar cane, putting high-speed wireless networks in Baramati, India, and undertaking multiple other efforts to increase access to technology among the poor to foster economic development and attract potential customers.

For example, Advanced Micro Devices is collaborating with Quanta Computer to make $100 laptops for schoolchildren as part of the One Laptop Per Child project. The competition is especially aggressive in China and India, which are densely populated and emerging as global-market powers.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy previously reported about Intel’s efforts to increase technological access in developing countries.

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