Environmental Leader

Seeing a fit for its processing prowess in emerging industries, Intel is considering getting into wind forecasting and even information management for electric cars.

While Intel already sells microprocessors to wind turbine makers, John Skinner, Intel’s Director of Marketing for its Eco-Technology division, said there are good opportunities for moving into forecasting when, where and how fast wind would blow, reports Reuters.

Skinner said that Intel views “numerical forecasting” of wind as important to maximizing investments in wind farms.

Intel Capital, the firm’s VC arm, has invested in a number of cleantech companies. One sector that Intel is keen on is electric vehicles, he said.

Electric vehicles could benefit from microprocessors that manage energy use and predict range, he said.

Intel is not the only high-tech company considering the future of electric cars.

Google, for instance, is an investor in the Aptera electric car, which gets the equivalent of 200 miles per gallon.

While the Aptera was scheduled to be launched this year, that has been pushed back to 2010, according to a press release. The company is citing “financing realities” as the reason for pushing back production.