Intel unveils Atom Processor Across the other side of the Pacific in Shanghai, China, Intel is holding their semi-annual Intel Developer Forum, showcasing their latest advancements and products in their lineup for the coming years. Intel announced Tuesday that it has officially begun shipping its new Atom processor, formerly codenamed as Silverthorne, a microprocessor aimed at new portable handheld devices. Intel plans to ship five iterations of the Atom processor designed to bring traditional desktop and notebook functionality into smaller handheld devices that fits into pocket and purses. Hopefully more consumer devices will surface sometime during the 2nd quarter. The fastest Atom processor will run at 1.86GHz, but only consumes 2.4 watts of battery power, making it the most power efficient microprocessor against today’s notebook processors and the fastest. In comparison, it is about 10x lower power than traditional processors today. The chip itself is approximately the size of a US Lincoln penny but touts native Intel Core 2 Duo compatibility with a completely new micro-architecture and packing 47 million transistors in a 25mm squared area. The Atom could eventually make its way into devices like the Apple iPhone, which touts web browsing, multimedia, and email functionality.
