Written by Alma Anonas-Carpio / Correspondent
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 00:28
TAIPEI, Taiwan—There are things smaller than the atom, and chip maker Intel Corp. is working to beat its own world record by making a processor that is smaller than its tiny 45-nanometer (nm) Atom.
Intel senior vice president and ultra mobile group general manager Anand Chandrasekher told the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) here on Monday that the company is coming out with a 32-nm processor that will perform 10 times faster and require even less power than the miniscule Atom.
Chandrasekher also announced that Intel is now in the process of producing lead-free chips that are more environment-friendly by doing away with toxic substances and demanding less power to operate.
In his keynote address on the first day of the two-day IDF, Chandrasekher brought onstage Intel’s Belliappa Kuttanna, described in the computer world as “the father of Atom.” After several months of research and development, Kuttana and his team are still working on developing a 32-nm processor, which integrates both the processor chip and several motherboard functions, as well as software embedded into the new platform to improve its performance.
“It has been a big challenge,” Kuttana said of his endeavor, adding that the “biggest challenge of all was to reduce power levels while running modern operating systems [OS]. All in all, we have had some pretty exciting developments on Moorestown,” which may well be the first platform to receive a physical downsizing to 32nm.
Moorestown is made up of a system-on-chip system codenamed “Lincroft,” which integrates a 45-nm processor, graphics, memory controller and video encode/decode onto a single chip and an in-out (I/O) hub codenamed “Langwell,” which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage and display components and accommodates several board-level functions. The Moorestown platform will reach the global market between 2009 and 2010.
