Bill Gates has a long history of making investments in cable companies with the hopes that it will secure Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people) software a significant role in the technology used for high-speed Internet access and for cable set-top boxes that deliver interactive TV.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Michael Dell, 47, is betting that his company will be able to evolve into a more diversified seller of technology services, business software and high-end computers without having to pander to the stock market's fixation on whether earnings are growing from one quarter to the next.

NPR: Dell To Go Private In $24.4B Deal Led By Founder

And Google is looking for software engineers who have experience dealing with "high-volume consumer devices" for a television technology effort.

FORBES: How To Spy On Google

The vast ocean of patents covering high-tech components, software and business processes means that each new product, generally comprising thousands of pieces of technology, usually infringes on several patents.

ECONOMIST: eBay’s bid to stop the injunctions | The

To this end, members of the WEF YGL are creating technology blueprints, which use widely available commodity hardware and open source software as the building blocks of high-performing, cost-effective cloud solutions.

FORBES: How Cloud Computing Can Boost Developing Nations