Skip the navigation
News

Intel aims to add speed to Atom with new platform

'Pine Trail' should bring better performance and power savings to low-cost laptops

By Agam Shah
May 19, 2009 12:59 PM ET

IDG News Service - Intel on Tuesday revealed further details surrounding its next-generation Atom netbook platform that should provide improved system performance and power savings to low-cost laptops.

The new Atom platform, code-named Pine Trail, will move the chipset -- which includes the graphics and memory controller -- alongside the Atom processor in a single chip, Intel officials said on a conference call. Reducing the number of chips should lead to thinner designs, better battery life and lower pricing of netbooks.

The new platform should also improve system speed by cutting bottlenecks that plagued Intel's earlier Atom netbook architecture. Integrating the memory controller should remove the memory latency affecting existing Atom architectures, which would translate into better netbook performance.

Integrating graphics with the processor should also provide faster access to graphics. Company officials reserved comment on the types of graphics capabilities it would provide in the new Atom platform, saying it would reveal further details at the Computex trade show to be held later this month in Taiwan.

Intel's current netbook architecture puts the graphics and memory capabilities on a separate chipset. However, as netbook users demand better graphics, the chipset has been criticized for its limited graphics capabilities compared to Nvidia's Ion platform, which brings together the Atom chip with a GeForce graphics chip to deliver full 1080p graphics capabilities.

The Pine Trail platform is set to become available to PC manufacturers in the second half of the year. Products based on the new platform may be announced at Computex, though actual shipping dates may vary depending on the PC makers, said Noury Al-Khaledy, the general manager of netbooks and nettops at Intel. The new Atom platform should also make designing products easier and reduce manufacturing costs for PC makers.

Netbooks are low-cost laptops typically characterized by small screens and limited graphics capabilities. The laptops are designed for basic Internet applications like Web surfing and e-mail, and also for applications like word processing. Shipments of netbooks grew sevenfold in the first quarter of 2009 to reach around 4.5 million, with the number expected to grow to 22 million by the end of the year, according to IDC.

"We can't be happier with the momentum we've established with this category," Al-Khaledy said. The company has more than 300 netbook and nettop design wins among manufacturers for the Atom chip. Nettops are low-cost desktop computers about the size of a hardcover book.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2010 International Data Group. All rights reserved.
Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Processors White Papers
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
X-Ray of the PCI Process-4 Proactive Steps
This white paper from Forrester Research Inc., helps break PCI into understandable components. Security and risk professionals will gain knowledge and insight into...
All Processors White Papers
Processors Webcasts
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®...
All Processors Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs