Intel’s “Silverthorne” Finally Gets a Name: Atom

It seems like we’ve been hearing about Intel’s Silverthorne processors for quite a while, but up until now, we’ve lingered off the codename and minor specifics. We knew that they’d be used in ultra-portables, mobile-Internet devices and other small electronics. Today, Intel unveils a name along with various bits of information we’ve been waiting so long to see.

Intel Atom is the name, which at first glance screams a lack of creativity. But, atoms are small and so are Atom processors, at 25mm². The physical size is not all that’s small, however. Like our desktop processors, Atom will be unveiled in different frequencies, with the top-end hitting 1.8GHz at only 2.5W and a lower-clocked 500MHz version that has an incredibly small 0.6W TDP.

According to Intel, 11 of these babies would fit on a penny, and each contain a staggering 47 million transistors. Aside from the top-branding Atom, the Atom Centrino platform has also been introduced. That features the processor, Intel 945GSE chipset and wireless radio. As DailyTech reports, Atom will be seen in upcoming revisions of the ASUS Eee PC, so support is already building up, with more announcements sure to follow.

To confuse matters a bit, Intel’s Diamondville processors will also fall under the Intel Atom processor nomenclature. Diamondville-based Atom processors are derived from Silverthorne, feature SMT technology and will be available in both single core and dual core versions. Atom processors based on Diamondville will see duty in low-cost notebooks (known as “netbooks”) and desktop computers (also called “nettops”).

Source: DailyTech