Intel Announces Atom CPU, Centrino Atom Platform for MIDs/UMPCs

Intel announced yesterday that its upcoming processors codenamed “Silverthorn” and “Diamondville”, designed for use in Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and Ultra-Moble PCs, are officially named the Intel Atom. The corresponding “Menlow” MID/UMPC platform is called the Intel Centrino Atom, the chip maker published.

“The Intel Atom processor is based on an entirely new microarchitecture designed specifically for small devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel Core 2 Duo instruction set compatibility consumers are accustomed to when using a standard PC and the Internet. The design also includes support for multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness. All of this on a chip that measures less than 25 mm², making it Intel’s smallest and lowest power processor yet,” the company’s press release says, adding that the Atom CPUs will be produced using 45-nanometer technology.

These processors have a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and a clock speed of up to 1.8GHz.

Intel Centrino Atom “Menlow” platform includes the Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, and a wireless chip, accordingly.

Earlier reports say the Atom and Centrino Atom will be released in the first half of 2008.

Source

At first I thought the name Atom would be a good idea for Intel’s new chip range, but the more I think about it the more I hope that their chips won’t actually be anything like an atom and actually have some substance!

[…] The Intel Atom processors are based on 45-nanometer production technology, and have a very low thermal design power (TDP), ranging from 0.6 to 2.5 watts. The Atom chips will be available with clock speed of up to 1.8GHz, and are scheduled for release in the first half of 2008. […]

[…] The MSI Wind PC, showcased at 2008 CeBIT show, features an 8- or 10-inch 1024×768 display, the Intel Atom processor clocked at 1GHz or 1.6GHz, hard drive and solid state drive options, an 1GB of system memory. […]

[…] The Intel Atom processor is designed to provide low power consumption, running at a thermal design power of 0.6 watts to 2.5 watts. Clock speeds range from 800MHz to 1.86GHz, depending on CPU model. The chip is aimed at MIDs, UMPCs, and budget mini-laptops. […]

[…] Acer is going to release the Aspire One low-cost 8.9-inch notebook based on the upcoming Intel Atom processor, according to a forum post at NotebookReview.com. […]

[…] DigiTimes reports that AMD has recently notified its partners it is developing a processor which will compete against Intel Atom and Via Nano CPUs in the low-cost PC market. […]