Technology firms push for Haiti aid

Financial help for survivors of the Haiti earthquake has continued to roll in from global IT heavyweights such as Intel, AMD, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems.

Technology firms are donating cash, offering ways for other people to give money to appeals, matching employee contributions and researching how technology can help the Caribbean island, after most of the capital Port-au-Prince was destroyed on January 12.

The Intel Foundation said it has donated $250,000 and will match donations "up to $2,000 per employee", with more than 2,000 staff members giving some money to relief appeals.

Intel's IT group researchers are studying previous natural disasters, such as the 2004 South Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, to see how technical expertise can be used to benefit Haiti.

Hewlett-Packard gave $500,000 to the American Red Cross' relief appeal, and HP Company Foundation pledged to match employee donations up to $250,000. AMD is matching contributions as well, while both Sun Microsystems and Dell have provided links to donation sites on their home pages.

Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and T-Mobile USA are just some of the other technology groups that have rushed to share funds and expertise with the rescue efforts.

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