Intel chooses "Atom" as the new brand name for low-power processors

Mumbai: Intel Corp, the world's largest semiconductor company, has chosen "Atom" as the new brand name for its latest low-power microprocessor.

The Intel Atom processor will be the name for a new family of low-power processors designed specifically for  mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and a new class of simple and ultra low-cost and small notebook and desktop personal computers. The Atom joins other Intel brands such as Core, Core 2, Celeron, and Xeon, which are the names for the other processors that the California-based company makes and sells.

According to the company, the Intel Atom processor is based on a new micro-architecture designed for small devices and low power consumption. The chip is less than 25 square millimeters, and 11 of the chip's dies -- the slivers of silicon with 47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size equivalent to a US penny. The new chips, previously code-named Silverthorne and Diamondville, are made on Intel's 45-nanometer process with hi-k metal gate technology, and are slated for introduction toward the middle of this year.

The company also announced the Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand for mobile Internet devices (MIDs). Formerly code-named Menlow, the Centrino Atom includes the Intel Atom processor, a low power companion chip with integrated graphics and a wireless radio, fitted in a compact design.