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Intel steps up mobile chips
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September 30, 2001: 3:00 p.m. ET
Industry leader will roll out 12 new microprocessors on Monday
By Staff Writer Richard Richtmyer
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Intel Corp. on Monday will turn up the heat on its competitors in the market for microprocessors used in mobile computers when it introduces 12 new mobile processors with enhanced power-saving and performance features.
Included among the new chips is a Pentium III-M that operates at 1.2 gigahertz, which is the fastest mobile processor currently available. Intel also is rolling out an "ultra low voltage" processor designed to operate at under one volt while consuming less than half a watt of power when in battery-optimized mode.
The new product introductions are the latest signs of what has been a marked increase in Intel's efforts in the mobile processor market in recent quarters amid mounting competition from its rivals.
Intel first introduced the Pentium III-M family of processors in July. They were Intel's first chips to be built using a 0.13-micron process technology, which refers to the size of the circuits that are printed on the silicon chips.
By shrinking the size of the circuits, chipmakers are able to pack more processing power and architectural enhancements into a smaller package. They also are able to yield more chips per silicon wafer produced, reducing their overall manufacturing costs.
The Pentium III-M chips also have several architectural advancements, including a larger memory cache, used to temporarily store data used repeatedly, such as instructions from the operating system. They also use a technology Intel calls SpeedStep, which enables the processors to operate at lower speeds when the computer is running on battery power and higher speeds when plugged in, thus reducing power drain.
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Frank Spindler, general manager, Intel Mobile Platforms Group. | |
Originally, the Pentium III-M was optimized for use in "full size" notebook computers, weighing four pounds or more. The newest chips are suitable for the smaller three-to–four pound "mini" notebooks, as well as "ultralight" notebooks weighing three pounds and under, Intel said.
The company also expects the new chips to be used in the "tablet PC" products slated to reach the market sometime next year.
"We are introducing ... 12 new processors for every mobile PC segment, including the fastest processor," said Frank Spindler, general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group.
"This, we believe, really highlights the impact that Pentium III-M and 0.13 micron technology from Intel is going to have on the mobile segment," Spindler added.
Intel (INTC: Research, Estimates) also has shifted the production of one of its mobile Celeron processors to 0.13-micron, and made performance and power improvements to five others, all of which will be part of Monday's introduction.
An increasingly competitive marketplace
Competition among mobile microprocessor makers has intensified in recent months as, faced with a sharp slowdown in desktop PC sales, they have stepped up their efforts in that market, where profit margins are higher. Silicon Valley upstart Transmeta (TMTA: Research, Estimates) has emerged as a player in that space with its low-power Crusoe processors, which have been designed specifically for "ultralight" notebooks and have been making their way into servers as well.
Introduced a little over a year ago, Transmeta's processors achieve their low-power characteristics by using software to translate the instructions typically handled directly by the transistors on other chips, a patented approach the company calls "code morphing."
In June, Transmeta introduced its newest Crusoe processors, which are built using a 0.13-micron process and operate at speeds up to 800 MHz. The company aims to release a 1GHz version during the first half of 2002.
In May, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD: Research, Estimates), whose Athlon and Duron processors have been giving Intel a run for its money in the desktop market, threw its hat into the mobile-computer ring as well, introducing its Athlon 4 mobile processor.
Those chips, which the company claims consumer 20 percent less power than previous Athlons, use a technology AMD calls PowerNow! which, through a combination of chip-circuits and software, enables the processors to adjust the speed at which they operate based on the computing task at hand. The Athlon 4 chips are available at clock speeds ranging from 850 MHz to 1.1 GHz. 
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