The European Union on Wednesday honored India-born inventor Ajay Bhatt-led team at the US tech-giant Intel that developed the Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology, one of the most important advances in computing since the silicon chip.
The European Patent Office announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2013, which honors outstanding inventors for their contribution to social, economic and technological progress.
Some 500 guests attended the award ceremony at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, including Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.
Ajay V Bhatt-led team, comprising of Bala Sudarshan Cadambi, Jeff Morriss, Shaun Knoll, Shelagh Callahan of the United States won the award for inventors from Non-European Countries, for creating and developing USB technology, one of the most important advances in computing since the silicon chip.
An industry standard today, USB not only allows users to more easily connect devices to a computer, it also streamlines work for hardware and software developers. It is found in billions of electronic devices all over the world, from webcams to cell phones and memory sticks.
56-year-old Bhatt is an Indian-American computer architect who helped define and develop several widely used technologies, including USB, Accelerated Graphics Port, PCI Express, Platform Power management architecture and various chipset improvements.
After completing his graduation in Vadodara, India, Bhatt completed his master's degree in New York. Bhatt joined Intel in 1990. He currently holds 31 US patents.
The European Inventor Award is presented annually by the European Patent Office, supported by European Union to inventors who have made a significant contribution to innovation, economy and society in Europe. Inventions from all technological fields are considered for this award. There is no cash prize associated with the award.
The 2013 awards were presented in five categories, in addition to the Popular Prize for the first time.
(Image Credit: Ajay Bhatt's Facebook Page)