Intel’s Otellini Outlines New Multicore Platforms
Online staff -- EDN, August 23, 2005
At the Intel Developer Forum, CEO and president Paul S. Otellini said the semiconductor industry is on a new “performance per watt” course that will deliver powerful increasingly smaller, sleeker and more energy-efficient Intel-based computers.
Otellini also pointed out that high-tech companies are growing again as a result of delivering exciting new products.
In describing Intel’s role in driving innovation, Otellini unveiled the company's next-generation, power-optimized micro-architecture for future digital home, enterprise, mobile and emerging market platforms, along with low-power products that the company believes will empower a new category of converged consumer devices.
Intel said it would introduce the micro-architecture in the second half of 2006, which combines the company's current Intel NetBurst and Pentium M micro-architectures with new features.
A multicore foundation is aimed at allowing unique computer designs that will power the industry's most sophisticated and user-friendly digital home and office PCs, Intel said.
This strategy is also meant to assist IT managers increase responsiveness and productivity while at the same time reducing real-estate and electricity burdens company's face as server data centers grow.
“You're going to see Intel combine its R&D innovation, manufacturing and technology leadership with energy-efficient micro-architectures and powerful multicore processors to deliver unique platforms best tailored to individual needs,” Otellini said.
“We will deliver 'factor of 10' breakthroughs to a variety of platforms that can reduce energy consumption tenfold or bring 10 times the performance of today's products. At the same time, Intel innovation will continue to deliver unique digital enterprise, home, office and mobile features, such as greater manageability, security and virtualization, along with an increasing capability to manage and view digital content,” he continued.
The first public demonstrations of the Merom, Conroe and Woodcrest processors were shown for notebook, desktop and server platforms designed on Intel's 65nm technology manufacturing process. He also said Intel has more than 10 processor projects that contain four (quad-core) or more processor cores per chip.
Otellini also announced that forthcoming lower-power products will lead to a new category of ultra energy-efficient devices, called handtop PCs that provide a converged communication and PC-like experience but require less than a watt of processing power and weigh under a pound.
