Intel unveils Moorestown Atom processor platform for smartphones and mobile handhelds
Intel announced a new version of the Atom processor platform (code-named Moorestown) yesterday designed specifically for the low-power requirements of markets such as smartphones, tablets, and mobile handheld products.
The new platform is made up of the Atom processor Z6xx Series Family (formerly known as “Lincroft”) system-on-chip (SOC), the Intel Platform Controller Hub MP20 (formerly known as “Langwell”), and a dedicated Mixed Signal IC (MISC) formerly known as “Briertown.”
Just like the “Pineview” Atom processors, the new Atom Z6xx processors combine the 45nm Intel Atom processor core with 3D graphics, video encode, and video decode, as well as memory and display controllers into a single SOC design.
Taken together, the new platform delivers “significantly lower power including >50x reduction in idle power, >20x reduction in audio power, and 2-3x reductions across browsing and video scenarios – all at the platform level when compared to Intel’s previous-generation product”. According to Intel, all these savings translates to more than 10 days of standby power, up to two days of audio playback and four to five hours of browsing and video playback battery life.
Yet despite the power-consumption reductions, the new platform will supposedly deliver up to “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.”
Lower power requirements and higher performance – always a good thing in our book!
According to Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group,
“Intel has delivered its first product that is opening the door for Intel architecture [IA] in the smartphone market segment,”
Intel certainly hopes this new platform will result in more (or rather new) smartphone/tablet design wins – especially since current generation Atom processors have been primarily relegated to netbooks and nettops systems. Oh .. and did anyone notice how many new devices were coming out supporting the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor? Yeah we’re sure Intel’s been noticing too!
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