Sources close to Intel Corporation uncovered the company’s plan to roll-out a new Celeron M microprocessor in the second quarter of the year to expand the lineup of value chips for Intel Centrino Platform.

Sometimes in the Q2 2004 Intel is expected to add Celeron M processor at 1.40GHz to the currently shipping 1.20GHz and 1.30GHz models. Faster flavors of the Celeron M chip at 1.50GHz, 1.60GHz and 1.70GHz will be launched in the Q3 2004, Q4 2004 and Q1 2005 respectively.

Also in the second quarter of the year Intel is projected to put a yet another Ultra Low Voltage Celeron M processor at 900MHz into the product line. The initial version of the chip will be made using 0.13 micron fabrication technology. In the third quarter Intel will substitute the chip with ULV Celeron M 900A processor at 90nm process technology. Faster versions of ULV Celeron central processing units are likely to be available in the first quarter of next year, according to unofficial claims.

Sources expect Celeron M 1.40GHz to cost $134 in business quantities. Its launch will entail price waterfall for Celeron M 1.30GHz to $107, which will be equal price with Celeron M 1.20GHz. ULV Celeron M 900MHz will be quoted at $161 in 1000-unit quantities, while the wholesale price for ULV Celeron M 800MHz will be $144.

The standard-voltage Celeron M version at speeds of 1.30GHz and 1.20GHz, operates at 1.356V and has a thermal design power (TDP) of 24.5W. The ultra-low voltage (ULV) version of Intel Celeron M at 800MHz, operates at 1.004V and has a TDP of 7W. Thermal specifications of the current processors are likely to be equal or very close to Celeron M 1.40GHz and ULV Celeron M 900MHz.

Intel will start rapid transition to 90nm fabrication process of its Celeron M product line in the fourth quarter of the year. Sources indicate that in Q4 2004 there will be at least three 90nm Celeron M microprocessors in the family: 1.60GHz, 1.50GHz and 1.40GHz.

All Intel Celeron M processors at 130nm and 90nm process technologies feature a 400MHz processor system bus, 512KB of L2 cache, and support advanced mobile power management, including Deep Sleep states. Intel Celeron M chips are compatible with the Intel’s i852PM, i852GM, i852GME, i852GMV, i855PM, i855GM and i855GME chipsets.

Intel does not comment on unofficial information about fortcoming products.