On the one-year anniversary of Intel’s Atom processor launch, the company introduced “Moorestown,” the next generation of Intel’s Atom-based Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform, as well as two new Atom processors for MIDs.
Speaking from the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing on April 8, Anand
Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the
Ultra Mobility Group, showcased the low-power innovations of Moorestown
by comparing it to an Atom-based platform in a side-by-side demo.
The power reductions on display were said to be the result of new
power-management techniques, a new, optimized partition for the MID
segment and Intel’s high-k metal gate, 45-nanometer manufacturing
process. As much as enterprise devices, and solutions for vertical
markets such as a heath care and government, MIDs are a significant portion of Intel’s focus.
Due out by 2010, the Moorestown platform will use the SOC (system on a
chip) design “Lincroft.” Intel engineers will combine Lincroft with a
45-nanometer Intel Atom processor core, graphics, video, a memory
controller and an input/output hub codenamed “Langwell.”
The Moorestown platform will come with a new version of Moblin
software, optimized to offer MID users a rich, PC-like Internet
experience with cellular voice capabilities.
Additionally, Intel announced the Z550 and Z515, two Atom processors
for the MID market. The 2.0GHz Z550 with Intel Hyper-Threading
technology support is now the highest-performing processor in the
under-3-watt category. The other Atom chip — the Z515 — is designed for
smaller formats, runs at 1.2 GHz and includes Intel Burst Performance
Technology (BPT).
Chandrasekher noted that low-voltage processors are ideal for ultra-thin laptops, including netbooks — a category that continues to grow even as notebook shipment numbers shrink.
The next-generation processors for laptops based on the Nehalem
architecture will be available in the second half of 2009 on the
“Calpella” platform. The next generation, Chandrasekher said, will also
rely on Hyper-Threading and Intel BPT, and be more powerful than
current offerings.
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