Intel flew 100 drones at night to show how they could someday replace fireworks

Intel drones

(Intel)

Intel just shared a video showing 100 dancing drones lighting up the sky in Palm Springs, California, the first time a single operator pulled off a feat of this scale on US soil.

The event was held to commemorate FAA's decision to loosen its standards on flying commercial drones. As part of the announcement, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich will also lead a newly formed drone advisory council, the company said.

But more than anything, it shows Intel's growing ambition in the drone flying space.

The world's largest chip maker has been placing a lot of focus on drones lately, as part of its move to make connected devices, or Internet of Things, a bigger part of its business. Although IoT is still a tiny part of the overall business, Intel believes there's huge upside.

One way it sees drones used more commonly is in the events space. Intel's Krzanich said at this year's CES that he believes drones will replace fireworks, a point he reiterated in the video.

"Our goal is to be able to do this over stadiums, to do this over events that have large populations. We have visions of going from a hundred to a thousand over time," Krzanich said.

Intel held a similar event in Germany earlier this year to showcase its drone-powering technology. It also introduced a drone that could follow you in real-time during the CES keynote speech. The drones used in the video were made by Ascending Technologies, a German drone-maker Intel acquired earlier this year.

Here's the video of Intel-powered drones lighting up the sky:

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