Access Insights · Team
Marco Beltman, PhD
Research Fellow • Sensory Technology
Recognized technical expert and leader on acoustics, vibrations, and immersive audio. He was a Principal Engineer for 25 years at Intel and established acoustics as a critical design requirement across the company. He holds 39 patents, published more than 50 papers, led groundbreaking cross-company research projects, and for over a decade served as the Information Technology industry's one voice on product acoustics worldwide.
39
patents in acoustics, audio, and noise management
50+
papers published in journals and presented at conferences
25
years at Intel as Principal Engineer in Intel Labs
PhD
cum laude in mechanical engineering, University of Twente
About
Sound is part of the user experience, and it can be engineered.
Marco earned his PhD and MS, both cum laude, in mechanical engineering with a focus on structural dynamics and acoustics at the University of Twente, followed by postdoctoral research at Twente and a visiting scientist position in Aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology. He joined Intel in 1999, started its acoustics core competency, and established acoustics as a critical design requirement across the company, building industry leading low noise platforms with manufacturers and new acoustic facilities at Intel and its partners.
His work connected the physics to what people actually hear. He directed new acoustic sound quality methodologies built on a groundbreaking multi geography study, giving processor design teams quantitative metrics for maximum performance in a quiet platform; the resulting guidelines were adopted in Intel's platform requirements and played a key role in a major design win. His electronic noise research produced features integrated into Intel's mainstream processors that maximize battery savings while avoiding audible noise.
Marco has also spent a career giving the IT industry a common language for sound: chairing its worldwide Product Acoustics committee for a decade, leading the ECMA work group of Apple, Intel, Microsoft, IBM and Dell that set a standard now used worldwide, and serving in ISO, ANSI and ECMA standards bodies. Outside the lab he is a volunteer raft guide, opening rivers to people of all abilities.
Selected work
From anechoic chambers to everyday ears.
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Immersive Binaural Sound
Intel Labs
Headed research on immersive binaural sound, including new algorithms that transform ordinary multi microphone input into immersive binaural signals. Quantified the benefits: a 40 percent increase in comprehension and a 20 percent reduction in cognitive load.
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Acoustics as a Design Requirement
Intel Labs
Started Intel's acoustics core competency, developed multiple industry leading low noise platforms with manufacturers, worked with processor and architecture teams on power targets and platform models, and established new leading acoustic facilities.
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Sound Quality Metrics
Intel
Directed new sound quality methodologies, metrics, and targets built on a multi geography study. The procedures and limits were adopted in Intel's platform landing zones for mobile and desktop and played a key role in a major design win.
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Electronic Noise Management
Intel Labs
Led research whose features were integrated into Intel's mainstream processors to maximize battery savings while avoiding acoustic noise, with validated models predicting noise from power management. Trained Tier 1 customers in Taiwan on capacitor noise in power managed systems.
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Fab Acoustics and Vibration
Intel
Isolated sensitive electron microscopes and quantum computing setups from sound and vibration, designed standardized isolation rooms that saved millions of dollars, and root caused a fan filter noise issue that let worldwide fab construction continue.
Standards and scholarship
The industry's referee on sound.
- Chair, ITI-TC6 Product Acoustics (2014 to 2024): the IT industry's one voice on worldwide audio and acoustics regulation; the work shaped ISO, ECMA and ANSI noise standards and produced a harmonized test framework saving millions of dollars.
- Chair of the ECMA work group of Apple, Intel, Microsoft, IBM and Dell that developed the ECMA-74 Annex C standard for PC and workstation operating conditions, now used worldwide.
- Intel representative in ISO TC43, ANSI S12.10 and ECMA TC26; US coordinator for multiple ISO standards on behalf of ANSI.
- Board of Directors, Institute of Noise Control Engineering.
- More than 50 papers, including the Journal of Sound and Vibration, the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, and Proceedings of the ACM.
- Plenary speaker at NoiseCon 2007; presented at National Academy of Engineering workshops on behalf of the IT industry.
- Reviewer for Applied Acoustics, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, and the Journal of Sound and Vibration.
Why it matters here: Sensory technology starts with how people actually hear. Marco has measured that for a career, proved that better sound means better comprehension and lower cognitive load, and brings the same rigor to research on how everyone senses and experiences technology.
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