Intel’s Next-Generation Atom, ‘Silvermont’, Due in 2013

Intel’s super-small Atom processor hasn’t seen a major update since its original launch in 2008, so what’s in store for the future? According to CNET, the major update will occur in 2013 with the introduction of “Silvermont”. And a “major” update it should be, as Atom will become a full-blown SoC, as was to be expected with the rising competition from the likes of Qualcomm and NVIDIA.

The next-gen Atoms will be built using Intel’s “3D Transistors” called tri-gate, and could be produced at the 22nm level, although it’s hard to speculate since Atom, and also chipsets, tend to be a process generation or two behind Intel’s desktop and server processors. That said, 22nm does still seem likely, and with the improvements tri-gate brings to the table, we can only imagine the kind of power efficiency Silvermont chips will be capable of.

With an SoC design (system-on-a-chip), we could see the likes of Atom becoming a preferred choice for tablets and smartphones, although Intel does have an uphill battle if it’s to dominate in this area, where ARM-based products have been the demanding force. One benefit Intel does have is pure x86 support, however, so it’d be much easier to run a complete Windows operating system on something like a thin tablet. The possibilities are huge.

According to the article, Intel is set to talk more about Silvermont next week at an analysts meeting, and with Computex right around the corner, it’d be expected that we’d learn even more from that.

Atom is now on a fast track, according to the sources. Intel will accelerate the Atom processor roadmap at a pace faster than Moore’s Law, which generally states that the number of a transistors that can be placed on a chip doubles roughly every two years. Atom SoCs are shipping now at 45-nanometer, moving to 32-nanometer in volume later this year, and then the Silvermont SoC’s married with the new architecture will ship in 2013. This results in three process generations and one new architecture inside of three years, according to sources.