Intel brands Silverthorne family, Menlow platform ‘Atom’

Intel is explicitly targeting mobile Internet devices with the Atom line.

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 3/3/2008

Intel Corp today launched the Atom processor and platform brand, replacing its Silverthorne, Diamondville, and Menlow codenames.

The Atom family of low-power processors is based on a new microarchitecture designed specifically for small devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel Core 2 Duo instruction set compatibility, the company said. Intel is explicitly targeting mobile Internet devices (MID) with the Atom line.

The Atom processor design includes support for multiple threads on a chip that measures less than 25 mm², making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor. Up to 11 Intel Atom processor die would fit in an area the size of a penny, Intel boasted.

The new chips, previously codenamed Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be manufactured on Intel's 45-nm 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 1.8-GHz. 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 Sean Maloney, Intel executive VP, in a statement. "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."

Meanwhile, the Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand replaces the Menlow platform codename,  and includes the Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and lighter designs.