Intel Blows Hot for Cold
August 23, 2005

Intel are gradually announcing details of their next generation processor architecture at IDF this week.

The architecture represents a shift away from raw clock speeds and room-heating CPUs towards multiple cores and lower power consumption, introducing a concept that we've been talking about all along: Performance per Watt.

In an unusual change of direction, Intel last year cancelled Tejas, their proposed successor to the Pentium 4, in favour of more efficient designs with a smaller cache, multiple smaller cores and reduced power consumption.

Not many details have been released yet, but it has been suggested Intel will be basing their new processors instead on the earlier P6 architecture of their Pentium M mobile processor, which has a lineage that can be traced back to the Pentium III and Pentium Pro.

We do know that the first CPUs will be 64-bit, dual core, built on a 65nm process, and arriving in the second half of next year in 3 configurations: Merom, designed for mobile products, Conroe for desktops and Woodcrest for servers. Before that, Intel's first dual core Pentium M succesor, Yonah is slated for introduction early next year.

When Intel follow AMD, IBM, Sun, Transmeta and VIA so resolutely towards more efficient processors instead of clock speed we know an industry shift has truly occured.

And this can only be a good thing for Mini-ITX.

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