Intel’s Nehalem Core i7 microprocessor is the main event at the IDF (Intel Developer Forum) Aug. 18-21 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, but Intel’s Atom processors for the emerging category of low-cost and mobile PCs is still a star.
Also expect to hear details at IDF about Intel’s plans for its SSD (solid state disk) portfolio as well as its first quad-core mobile microprocessor. Intel won’t say, however, whether its attendees will see or hear news on the test silicon of its Larrabee graphics architecture.
IDF should bring to a close the details behind Nehalem, which will be branded as the Core i7, save for the all-important price-performance comparisons that will be made after the chip launches in the fourth quarter.
“We’re going to complete the microarchitecture for Nehalem, including the disclosure of a very advanced energy-efficient feature,” said George Alfs, a spokesman for the company. After the announcement, Intel will hold classes for developers to take advantage of the new capabilities, Alfs said.
Officially, Intel describes the new feature as one that delivers “the best of both worlds: high performance and energy efficiency.”