Intel AMT is a hardware or firmware management engine that is part of the Intel chipset. It virtualizes the platform Ethernet interface at the device hardware level and creates a separate logical channel for the device that can access the LAN connections independently of the operating system connection interface. This allows the Intel Management Engine that is available with the Intel chipset to access the Ethernet connectivity even when the operating system is not running on the device and the device is just plugged in without being switched on.
Typical management commands are initiated from an AMT management console to the endpoint device by using a SOAP-encoded Web Service API.
For detailed information on the Intel AMT architecture, see the Intel AMT Architecture Guide.