Intel Bringing a Mobile Focus to IDF

The chip maker will continue its aggressive push into mobile at the show, talking about devices, new form factors and Atom.

Intel has been making plenty of news in recent months in connection with its data center strategy, such as the announcements Sept. 4 that included the launch of the next-generation Atom platform for microservers and other systems, the C2000 lineup.

However, when the company's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) kicks off Sept. 10, the focus will quickly shift to its efforts around mobility, a primary area of concern for the chip maker's new leadership. And as the global PC market continues to contract, the mobile device space also becomes one of Intel's key growth areas.

CEO Brian Krzanich, who in May took over as the top executive for Paul Otellini, has been pushing a more aggressive mobile agenda. Just days after taking over, Krzanich made several organizational moves designed to streamline the company, such as having the Intel Architecture Group report directly to him and creating a new unit that will focus on new devices, including wearable technology.

He also has been vocal about the new chips that are on the horizon, including Core processors based on the low-power "Haswell" design that will find their ways into PCs, tablets and other form factors—such as convertible and hybrid devices—and the new Atom systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) based on the new "Silvermont" microarchitecture, such as "Bay Trail" for tablets and "Merrifield" for smartphones.

Atom will be a key part of the chip maker's mobile efforts, Krzanich told analysts and journalists in July to discuss the company's quarterly financial numbers.

"Intel was slow to respond to the ultramobile trend," he said. "We will move Atom even faster to our leading-edge silicon technology."

IDF attendees can expect to hear plenty more mobile talk during the conference's three days, in everything from keynote addresses to technical sessions.

Krzanich and President Renee James will be the keynote speakers when IDF opens Sept. 10, and according to the IDF Website, they will talk about what is a "clear emphasis [within Intel] on mobile computing leadership." That mobility focus will not only give a boost to current hardware and software developers, but also will attract new ones to the Intel Architecture, according to the company.

The mobility theme will be prominent during the second day of keynotes Sept. 11, when Hermann Eul, vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobile and Communications Group, talks about the company's support for personalization and performance in mobile devices, and Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group, talks about devices that can be used as a tablet or a PC.