Tech Shout!

Intel has announced its newest family of low-power processors designed especially for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and ultra low cost laptops. Known as the Intel Atom, this processor falls under Intel’s new Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand for MID platforms.

The Intel Atom processor consists of multiple chips that enable one to have the optimum Internet experience in a pocket device. It is based on an entirely new micro architecture designed for pocket devices and low power while maintaining the Intel Core 2 Duo compatibility that consumers have become used to.

The Intel Atom processor was previously codenamed ‘Silverthorne’ and ‘Diamondville’.

The design of the Atom processor also includes support for multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness. To top it all, this technology is embedded on a chip that measures less than 25mm². This makes the Atom processor, Intel’s smallest and lowest power consumer till date.

The chips have a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds depending on customer need. By comparison, today’s mainstream mobile Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.

According to Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Sean Maloney, “This is our smallest processor built with the world’s smallest transistors. 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.”

Intel said the Intel Atom processor also has potential for future revenue opportunities in consumer electronic devices, embedded applications and thin clients.