Intel
Demonstrates Industry's First 32nm Chip and Next-Generation Nehalem
Microprocessor Architecture
INTEL
DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 18, 2007 – Intel Corporation
President and CEO Paul Otellini today outlined new products, chip
designs and manufacturing technologies that will enable the company to
continue its quickened pace of product and technology leadership.
Speaking to
industry leaders, developers and industry watchers at the Intel
Developer Forum (IDF), Otellini showed the industry's first working
chips built using 32 nanometer (nm) technology, with transistors so
small that more than 4 million of them could fit on the period at the
end of this sentence. Intel's 32nm process technology is on track to
begin production in 2009.
Otellini also
described the near-term advantages computer users will experience with
Intel's upcoming 45nm family of Penryn processors, which are based on
its revolutionary high-k metal gate transistor technology. The
industry's first 45nm processors will be available from Intel in
November. The company also demonstrated for the first time the
next-generation chip architecture codenamed Nehalem, due out next year.
"Our
tick-tock strategy of alternating next generation silicon technology and
a new microprocessor architecture -- year after year -- is accelerating
the pace of innovation in the industry," said Otellini.
"Tick-tock is the engine creating today's most advanced
technologies and keeps them coming out at a rapid cadence. Our customers
and computer users around the world can count on Intel's innovation
engine and manufacturing capability to deliver state-of-the-art
performance that rapidly becomes mainstream."
When Intel
introduces Penryn in November, it will be the world's first high-volume
45nm processor. Penryn, along with the Silverthorne family of 45nm
processors (available next year) will have the small feature size,
low-power requirements and high-performance capabilities to meet a wide
variety of computing needs from handheld Internet computers to high-end
servers. Intel will quickly ramp the technology with plans to introduce
15 new 45nm processors by the end of the year and another 20 in the
first quarter of 2008, extending Intel's leadership in product
performance and energy efficiency. Intel has already achieved more than
750 design wins for the Penryn processor.
"We expect
our Penryn processors to provide up to a 20 percent performance increase
while improving energy efficiency," said Otellini. "Intel's
breakthrough 45nm silicon process technology allows us to provide
low-cost, extremely low-power processors for innovative small form
factor devices while delivering high-performance, multi-core,
multi-featured processors used in the most advanced systems."
Otellini also
announced that Intel's 45nm processors and 65nm chipsets would use
halogen-free packaging technology beginning in 2008. The result will be
that Intel's 45nm processors will not only be more energy efficient but
also better for the environment.
Looking to 2008,
Otellini made the first public demonstration of Intel's Nehalem
processor and said the company is on track to deliver the new processor
design in the second half of the year. The Nehalem architecture will
extend Intel's leadership in performance and performance-per-watt
benchmarks, and will be the first Intel processor to use the QuickPath
Interconnect system architecture. Quickpath will include integrated
memory controller technology and improved communication links between
system components to significantly improve overall system performance.
"Nehalem is
an entirely new architecture that leverages Intel's Core
Microarchitecture, bringing leading-edge performance advantages, power
efficiency and important new server features to market just a year after
Intel leads the industry to 45nm technology," said Otellini.
Describing other
advanced Intel technologies destined to quickly come to market, Otellini
showed the world's first 300mm wafer built using next-generation 32nm
process technology. The development of advanced test chips serves as a
critical milestone in the company's march toward high-volume
manufacturing of 32nm process technology. With plans to introduce
processors built on 32nm technology in 2009, Intel will maintain its
industry lead delivering the most advanced manufacturing technologies.
Intel's 32nm test
chips incorporate logic and memory (static random access memory --SRAM)
to house more than 1.9 billion transistors. The 32nm process uses the
company's second-generation high-k and metal gate transistor technology.
This additional
performance made possible by Intel's push to drive chip design and
manufacturing technology forward will not only be seen in computing, but
will enable more true-to-life entertainment and realistic graphics
capabilities. As a result, the company said it will be placing increased
emphasis on using the power of its processors to enhance key
technologies such as visual computing and graphics.
"Satisfying
demand for ever-greater computer performance increases means we need to
move rapidly to the next manufacturing technology." said Otellini.
"Intel engineers and researchers deserve a great deal of credit for
setting the pace for the industry. As our advanced technology reaches
consumers and businesses in the next couple of years the amount of
computing power they'll be able to harness will help them become even
more productive, creative and innovative."
Otellini also
announced that a version of a Penryn dual-core processor operating at 25
watts will be available on the upcoming Montevina platform, which will
include Intel's mobile WiMAX silicon. Several equipment manufacturers
are already planning to introduce Montevina-based notebook PCs starting
next year when the platform is introduced. Overall, WiMAX is expected to
reach more than 1 billion people worldwide by 2012.
The reach of WiMAX
along with Intel's efforts to bring computing technology to developing
nations through the World Ahead program and innovative products such as
the Silverthorne processor will help bring computing to the next billion
people worldwide according to Intel.
For more news
coverage out of IDF, visit the complete press kit at www.intel.com/pressroom/idf.
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