First Look:

Intel’s new Atom goes after ARM CPUs in mobiles

Bernard Cole
iApplianceWeb
(05/03/10, 8:15 AM GMT)

Santa Clara, CA -- Benefitting from the company's power-saving architecture, transistor and circuit design expertise, plus unique manufacturing process techniques, Intel Corporation today unveiled its newest Intel Atom processor-based platform (formerly "Moorestown", PDF 202KB).

The technology package provides significantly lower power consumption1 and prepares the company to target a range of computing devices, including high-end smartphones, tablets and other mobile handheld products.

The platform includes the Intel Atom processor Z6xx Series Family (formerly "Lincroft" system-on-chip [SoC]), the Intel Platform Controller Hub MP20 (formerly "Langwell") and a dedicated Mixed Signal IC (MSIC), formerly "Briertown."

The platform has been repartitioned to include the Intel Atom processor Z6xx, which combines the 45nm Intel Atom processor core with 3-D graphics, video encode and decode, as well as memory and display controllers into a single SoC design.

It also includes the MP20 Platform Controller Hub which supports a range of system-level functions and I/O blocks. Additionally, a dedicated MSIC integrates power delivery and battery charging, and consolidates a range of analog and digital components.

Collectively these new chips deliver significantly lower power including >50x reduction in idle power, >20x reduction in audio power, and 2-3x reductions across browsing and video scenarios. These power savings translate into >10 days of standby, up to 2 days of audio playback and 4-5 hours of browsing and video battery life.

When combined with 1.5-3x higher compute performance, 2-4x richer graphics, >4x higher JavaScript performance, and support for full HD 1080p high-profile video decoding and 720p HD video recording, these low-power innovations bring a rich, PC-like visual experience to powerful handheld computers.

Building on the original Intel Atom processor design, the SoC incorporates new ultra-low-power states which take the SoC to 100 micro-watts5. At the platform level, Intel implemented a new, fine grain OS power management approach that manages the idle and active power states across all aspects of the system based on usage scenarios.

This software-managed technique applies aggressive power and clock gating across the SoC's power islands and system voltage rails. The new platform supports a range of scalable frequencies, up to 1.5 GHz for high-end smartphones and up to 1.9 GHz for tablets and other handheld designs.

The chips also bring support for Wi-Fi, 3G/HSPA, and WiMAX, as well as a range of operating systems, including Android, MeeGo and Moblin. Intel is bringing together a breadth of applications and ecosystem support across these platforms to enable a software- and Internet-compatible user experience for developers and consumers.

To learn more, go to www.intel.com/.  

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