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Post a CommentIntel aims Atom at Internet ‘in your pocket’
The chip giant launched five Atom processors, manufactured with its 45-nm high-k transistor process that allows for the small size, low power, and performance demanded by consumers in mobile Internet devices. Intel also noted that the Atom processors range from 800 MHz to 1.86 GHz, and consume between 0.65 watts and 2.4 watts of power.
By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 4/2/2008
Intel Corp late Tuesday from its Intel Developer Forum in China rolled out its Atom processor, which contains 47 million transistors packed into an area of less than 25-square millimeters, is designed for low power usaage and targets pocket-sized mobile Internet devices (MID).
The chip giant launched five Atom processors, manufactured with its 45-nm high-k transistor process that allows for the small size, low power, and performance demanded by consumers in MIDs. Intel also noted that the Atom processors range from 800 MHz to 1.86 GHz, and consume between 0.65 watts and 2.4 watts of power and are priced between $45 to $160 per 1000 units.
The Atom processor (pictured on a wafer and formerly codenamed Silverthorne) is a single-chip with “system controller hub” integrated graphics for PC-like capabilities, providing what the company said is an uncompromised Internet experience as well as long battery life in smaller devices that can fit into a pocket. Intel noted manufacturers around the world are planning to ship Intel-based MIDs beginning this summer, including Aigo, Asus, Benq, Clarion, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Hanbit Electronics, Hitachi, Lenovo, LG, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, and Toshiba, among others.
Gary Willihnganz, director of marketing, for Intel’s ultra mobility group, claimed during a conference call that MIDs will allow consumers to communicate, entertain, access information, and be productive on-the-go, and said that the devices are expected to represent a new class of next-generation, Internet-based portable video players, navigation devices, converged tablets, and other consumer products.
Intel also discussed its Centrino Atom processor technology, which includes the Atom processor, and is the company’s smallest and the world’s fastest chip under 3 watts, with a thermal design power range of 0.65 watts to 2.4 watts (versus 35 watts for today’s typical laptop), average power range of 160 mW to 220 mW, and idle power range of 80 mW to 100 mW.
Willihnganz said that the Centrino Atom (formerly codenamed Menlow) is Intel’s first MID platform, which demonstrates that the company is on track with its public commitments to ship Centrino Atom in the first half of this year.
The low-power levels of the Centrino Atom were achieved by implementing several major processor design power management techniques such as Intel Deep Power Down Technology, CMOS mode, and split I/O power supply, which, when combined with Intel’s 45-nm high-k metal gate transistor formula, allow energy efficiency, smaller size, longer battery life, and sleek designs, the company said.
“These forthcoming MIDs, and some incredible longer-term plans our customers are sharing with us, will show how small devices can deliver a big Internet experience,” Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior VP and general manager of the ultra mobility group, said in a statement.
These products seek to address the ever-increasing pervasiveness of the Internet, the desire to be constantly connected via wireless broadband which is driving new compute-intensive consumer products. Specifically, Intel said its Atom processor will come in speeds up to 1.86 GHz, support enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology. Intel further reported that three of the five Atom processors will support Intel Hyper-Threading technology, which should allow up to 30% performance improvement.
To allow a rich user experience with fast Web page downloads and support for the latest Web technologies, Adobe Flash and JavaScript are supported, along with Intel’s system controller hub, which is a ground-up, integrated low-power feature that contains advanced low-power 3-D graphics, hardware accelerated 720p and 1080i HD video decode capabilities, Intel high definition audio, and a combination of PC and handheld I/O capabilities such as PCI Express, USB Host and Client, and SDIO.
Intel also said its Centrino Atom processor technology can be customized by OEMs to integrate a range of wireless connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, WiMax, and cellular data.
The company believes the technical features of the Intel Atom processor and Intel System Controller Hub will help to create an array of MIDs that offer a range of functions and variety of pocketable devices as well as fan-less, small form factor devices for embedded applications such as in-vehicle infotainment systems, portable point-of-sale devices for retail and more rugged computing devices such as robotics for industrial manufacturing. In embedded applications, Intel supports a seven-year life cycle.
During his keynote at the Intel Developer Forum in China this week, Pat Gelsinger, senior VP and general manager of Intel’s digital enterprise group, who tipped some of these innovations a few weeks ago, said Intel architecture processors now span MIDs to high-performance servers.
Gelsinger also gave some technical details of Intel’s next-generation processor family (codenamed Nehalem), which will begin production in Q4 and will first be seen in high-end desktop processors and dual processor server systems, then expand to other market segments in 2009.
The key to Nehalem is that the processor technology is designed to scale from two to eight cores.
Gelsinger also tipped Intel’s Advanced Vector Extension new instructions that are planned for a family of processors due after Nehalem (codenamed Sandy Bridge) in 2010.
