Intel Atom Platform: Smaller, More Energy-Efficient
Intel's reworked Atom platform enhances netbooks and Internet devices with integrated graphics and memory controller.
With its usual focus on optimization, the chip vendor now provides the Atom 45-nanometer processor, with minimal energy consumption and better performance. Intel claims a 20% reduction in power consumption over Atom's predecessor. Integrated graphics and memory management for the first time in a CPU do the rest and allow for a smaller form factor. Said differently, the memory controller eliminates one of three chips, with only the CPU and chipset remaining. Intel claims this translates to a 60% smaller footprint for netbooks and mobile Internet devices.
The smaller the die, the more fits on the wafer, as in the N450 chip, code-named Pine Trail.
The new platform for netbooks consists of the N450 processor and the low-power NM10 Express chipset. Vendors building entry-level desktops have recourse to the Atom D410 or dual-core D510 processor using the same chipset.
The most energy-efficient of the three, the N450, provides a core with 512 KBytes L2 cache. Intel gives a benchmark for power consumption of a thermal design power (TDP) of 7 watts for the total package including chipset. The single-core D410 also provides the 512-KByte L2 cache, with a 12-watt TDP. The dual-processor D510 has 1 MByte L2 cache with a 15-watt TDP. All chips have the 1.66-GHz processor frequency in common. Prices should be available in January. Further details on the new chip microarchitecture are on Intel's technology webpage.
Die for the new N450.
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