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 brand for MID platforms, consisting of multiple chips that enable the best Internet experience in a pocketable device.
Global chip major Intel Corporation has launched five small processors under Atom trademark for mobile Internet devices and Centrino Atom chip for embedded computing solutions, the company said Wednesday.
Each Atom processor has 47 million tiny transistors in 45 nanometer (nm)scale, measuring less than 25 square millimetres. Built on a micro-architecture for small devices and low power consumption, the new chip can support multiple threads for higher performance and quick system response, Intel said in a statement.
The $38-billion US-based company demonstrated the power of Atom processors at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) being held at Shanghai in China.
The Atom family includes a single chip with integrated graphics in the form of hub and will have long battery life.
"Today is a historic day for us and the high-tech industry, as we deliver our first-ever Atom processor and surround it with a great package of technology. With device makers and software vendors, the Atom-based mobile devices will change the way consumers will access the world wide web (WWW)," Intel vice-president for ultra mobility group Anand Chandrasekher told over 1,000 delegates participating in the two-day forum.
Manufacturers will ship Intel's Atom-based mobile Internet devices from this summer. The devices will allow consumers to communicate, entertain, access information and be productive on-the-go.
"The products will represent a new class of next-generation, Internet-based portable video players, navigation devices, converged tablets and other consumer products," Chandrasekhar averred.
The Centrino Atom processor, which is Intel's smallest and world's fastest chip under three watts, has a thermal design power range of 0-65-2.4 watts as against 35 watts for laptops, average power range of 160-220 milliwatts (mW) and idle power range of 80-100 mW.
As Internet becomes more pervasive, the desire to be constantly connected via wireless broadband will continue to drive new compute-intensive consumer products. Intel processors are designed for computers that run and access Internet.
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 mm², making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet.1 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.
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