Asha Keddy, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager for Next Generation and Standards, has been translating technology advancement into societal progress for years. 5G is no exception.
Watch her recent interview or read the Q&A below to discover Asha Keddy’s take on the business outlook for 5G and how Intel is enabling its full potential for enterprises and communication service providers
Q: Why is everybody talking about 5G?
The revolution that we saw in phones with 4G—we’re bringing it everywhere. We’re bringing it to people, to how we live our lives, and to enterprises. That’s why everybody is talking about 5G.
Q: What is the vision for 5G?
5G is not just a product. 5G is all the things that enable a fully connected, mobile, and intelligent society. 5G helps industries do better, it helps farmers do better, it helps households do better, it helps entertainment do better, and at the essence of it all—healthcare. 5G is about taking the world of compute and combining it with the world of communications.
Q: What is the advantage of 5G and edge computing?
Enterprises need to be more like real-time systems, more reliable, with access to the data that is relevant and the policies that make everything more personal and customized. That means the centralized data that was the cloud has to be closer to the premise with what we call the edge networks. Edge provides the all-important analytic capabilities in a quick, real-time manner. 5G provides the plumbing. AI provides the algorithms that make sense for a particular business or household.
Q: Why is Intel so well-positioned to help build out 5G?
Intel powers the cloud and the data center. Intel has been leading the network transformation revolution, taking things from a fixed function to more of a virtual function to scale the networks. We’re taking the fabric that we used to power the cloud all the way to enterprises and carriers—from the cloud to the network to the edge. That’s why we care so much about 5G. Intel has been powering the cloud and, as you can see with 5G, we’re taking that revolution to different enterprises and verticals.
Q: What are Intel’s 5G solutions?
The solutions that Intel brings to network transformation are Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors and a wide variety of other elements. For example, we provide FGPAs for flexibility and programmability, eASICs, ASIC solutions, and accelerators. As important as hardware is, we also bring a variety of other solutions such as software, software toolchains, open standards, and wireless standards. We bring all of these together and build solutions working with enterprise partners and operators to provide the network revolution.
Learn more about Intel’s vision for 5G by watching the suite of executive interviews:
• AI Fuels 5G Innovation Behind the Scenes with Caroline Chan, VP and GM, Network Business Incubator
• Evolve Business with 5G and Edge Compute with Ronnie Vashista, VP and GM, Network and Custom Logic Group
• A Perfect Storm of Innovation with Alex Quach, VP and GM, Wireline and Core Network
• Cloud to Network to Edge with Lynn Comp, VP and GM, Visual Cloud
• Unleash Network Modernization with Dan Rodriguez, VP and GM, Network Platforms Group
• Accelerating Business Opportunities with Asha Keddy, VP and GM, Next Generation and Standards, 5G
Asha Keddy has 25+ years of experience at Intel as a patent-holding engineer and technology futurist building enterprise systems and defining policies that transform working and living environments. Ms. Keddy continues to serve as a pivotal force at Intel in the creation of the multi-trillion dollar 5G market opportunity. In this role, she has executed incubation efforts, product development, industry forums, standards creation, ecosystem enablement, and policy governance.
Building on her experience as Intel’s 5G exec sponsor, she currently serves as Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Intel’s Next Generation Systems & Standards business unit. Keddy leads global efforts to build the next generation of distributed intelligence and advanced connectivity including 6G, the latest class of Wi-Fi technology, and more, thus empowering the creation of transformative and sustainable opportunities beyond Intel’s current playbook.
Keddy is a highly networked industry thought leader, and a global spokesperson providing insights to government agencies, the media, analysts, academia, and investors. She has served as a representative before Congress and international government agencies including testimonies to the senate on 5G. Keddy helped establish Intel as a leader within key wireless, industrial and edge standards bodies, and multiple industry fora, such as the 3GPP, IEEE, Wi-Fi Alliance, ETSI and Open-RAN. Keddy is a founder and advisor to Innovative Optical Wireless Network (IOWN GF) and has served or serves as long time director on the board of directors of Wi-Fi Alliance, 5G Americas, and CTIA. In April 2022, she joined Smith Micro Software (SMSI)’s as an independent Board Director.
Keddy holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai. She is an alumna of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business as part of the Intel Executive Accelerator Program. She is an avid advocate for women and minorities in technology. Residing in Portland, Oregon, Asha is an avid enthusiast for sustainability and the great outdoors. She enjoys kayaking, hiking, and spending time in nature with her family.