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Intel produces dual core Atom for netbooks

by on01 June 2010


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Also hatched out a reference design for thin netbooks


Intel has
been telling the world+dog at the Computex show in Taiwan that it has started production of a dual-core Atom chip for netbooks.

It has also been working on a a reference design for a 14-mm thick netbook with the bizarre name Canoe Lake. Intel launched four Atom microprocessors at Computex. These are the N455 and N475 for netbooks, and the D425 and D525 for so-called nettop desktop PCs.

While all four of the cores support DDR-3 memory, just one of the new chips is a dual-core offering: the D525, a 1.8-GHz chip. A chip with the catchy title N550, is also in production and products are expected to ship by Christmas. A new platform for tablets and netbooks, known as Oak Trail, will also be launched in early 2011, building upon the "Moorestown" platform for PCs with support for Windows 7, MeeGo, and Google Chrome OS and Android and a 40 percent lower thermal design power.

The Canoe Lake, Oak Trail, and new Atom chip launches are part of Intel's Atom Everywhere strategy. Both the D525 and D425 run at 1.8-GHz; in addition to the extra core, however, the D525 also runs at 8.5 watts of TDP, versus 6.5 watts for the D425. The N455 runs at 1.66-GHz and consumes 6.5 watts. The N475, which runs at 1.83-GHz will have the same power consumption figures.

Intel is keeping quiet about Canoe Lake. The prototype uses a Pine Trail dual-core Atom, and will be used as the Atom answer to other thin notebooks and laptops, such as the MacBook Air and Dell Adamo XPS.
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