Intel rolls out new embedded line-up

System-on-a-chip offerings promise footprint and power saving

Shaun Nichols in San Francisco, vnunet.com 24 Jul 2008

Intel has formally introduced its new line of embedded processors at a press conference in San Francisco.

Gadi Singer, mobility group president, and Doug Davis, digital enterprise group vice president, outlined the new system-on-a-chip (SoC) offerings which the company plans to introduce in the coming months.

The devices allow Intel to replace a host of hardware with a single chip, integrating such things as memory controllers on to a single unit.

Intel claims that, by implementing a SoC unit in place of a multi-chip design, vendors can save up to 45 per cent in footprint and 34 per cent in power consumption.

The company plans to pitch the chips at such areas as embedded computing systems, consumer electronics products and mobile internet devices.

The new line will sport enhanced connection options and easier software implementation.

A central feature of the new chips, however, is wireless internet connectivity. Singer predicted that wireless will become an essential feature for the SoC market in the coming years.

"Wireless connectivity is going through a revolution. A few years back, very few devices had wireless broadband, where today we're expecting to have a very reasonable broadband with a high bit rate," he told reporters.

"If you look four or five years out, you can expect the combination of WiMax and 3G or 4G to provide very high bandwidth."

The first eight SoC chips will target traditional embedded enterprise areas, such as industrial robotics, communications equipment and network security hardware.

Intel plans to expand that number to 15 over the coming months, adding chips designed for mobile devices and consumer electronics products.

Also among the new systems will be chips that use the Atom processor rolled out earlier this year.

Intel plans to use Atom as the basis for its Moorestown mobile internet device platform, which is set for release in 2009 or 2010.

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