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The Intel Atom processor will be the name for a new
family of low-power processors designed specifically for mobile
Internet devices (MIDs) and a new class of simple and affordable
Internet-centric computers arriving later this year. Together, these
new market segments represent a significant new opportunity to grow
the overall market for Intel silicon using the Intel Atom processor
as the foundation. The company also announced the Intel Centrino
Atom processor technology for MID platforms, consisting of multiple
chips that enable the best Internet experience in a pocketable
device.
The Intel Atom processor is based
on an entirely new microarchitecture designed specifically for small
devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel Core 2 Duo
instruction set compatibility consumers are accustomed to when using
a standard PC and the Internet. The design also includes support for
multiple threads for better performance and increased system
responsiveness. All of this on a chip that measures less than 25 mm,
making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet. Up to 11
Intel Atom processor die -- the tiny slivers of silicon packed with
47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size of an
American penny.
These new chips, previously
codenamed Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be manufactured on
Intel's industry-leading 45nm process with hi-k metal gate
technology. The chips have a thermal design power (TDP)
specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds
depending on customer need. By comparison, today's mainstream mobile
Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.
"This is our smallest
processor built with the world's smallest transistors," said
Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
Sean Maloney. "This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in
design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet
experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new
innovation across the industry."
With personal computing
increasingly going mobile and the computer industry rapidly
developing new classes of products to connect the next billion
people to the Internet, the Intel Atom processor offers customers
the unique ability to innovate around the new low-power design. In
addition to the MID opportunity, Intel believes the demand for a new
category of low-cost, Internet-centric mobile computing devices
dubbed "netbooks" and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs
dubbed "nettops," will grow substantially over the next
several years. The Intel Atom processor is perfectly suited to meet
these new market segments.
Intel said the Intel Atom
processor also has potential for future revenue opportunities in
consumer electronic devices, embedded applications and thin clients.
Intel Centrino Atom Processor
Technology
The Intel Centrino Atom processor
technology brand represents Intel's best technology for MIDs.
Formerly codenamed "Menlow," Intel Centrino Atom processor
technology includes the Intel Atom processor, a low-power companion
chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and
lighter designs. Together, these components are designed to enable
the best mobile computing and Internet experience on these new
devices.
 --Tech
Times Online
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