Intel Corp., the world’s largest maker of processors for desktops, servers and notebook, showcased recently its dual-core 65nm mobile central processing unit at a meeting with analysts, but said the commercial products based on the technology are only expected to emerge in 2006, some time behind the generally recognized schedule under which the processor was targeted for ’05 release.

Intel’s First 65nm Chip Working

“This week was the first time not only that we have shown the Yonah silicon publicly, but did a live, functioning demo, i.e., booted the operating systems, ran applications, etc. For the live demonstration we used a silicon we produced about a week ago,” Barbara Grimes, a spokeswoman for Intel Corp., told X-bit labs.

Despite of live demonstration, the actual notebooks based on the Dothan chip are only expected to emerge in 2006, not in 2005, as previously anticipated. The delay, however, is unlikely to lie in the field of technology, as Intel promises to ship the Yonah processors, the company’s first 65nm microprocessor, for revenue in late 2005.

“At Fall Intel Developer Forum, Paul Otellini said that Intel would ship production dual-core products for desktop, mobile and server in 2005. At Intel’s Financial Analyst Meeting this week, Otellini provided further detail, stating that we plan to ship Yonah, our first dual-core mobile processor, for revenue in 2005 and officially launch the platform in 2006,” Ms Grimes explained.

Clock-speed and other peculiarities of the Yonah chip were not disclosed.

Intel believes that by the end of 2006 more than 70% of performance mobile processors it produces at that time will be dual-core chips.

Future Notebooks to Offer More Communication Options, Increase Battery Life

Intel also disclosed certain peculiarities of its platform beyond the upcoming Sonoma, the one code-named Napa. Napa Platform will inherit all the major innovations of the Sonoma, such as PCI Express, DDR2 memory, etc., but will add next-generation integrated graphics engine code-named Calistoga, new power management tools that will increase battery life to over 5 hours, as well as WiMAX and 3G options.

Adding new functions and capabilities to mobile platforms taxes battery life and can limit notebook designs. Intel is working to reverse this trend by developing power state management techniques and new battery technologies essential to extending laptop battery life and keeping form factors small and light-weight.

Intel this year introduced the Intel Battery Life Optimization Program to help resolve some of the power management and platform configuration hurdles to achieving all-day battery life. The company will work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) to provide technical guidance on power delivery and power management architecture. Intel will also develop guidelines for optimizing power saving features using Intel hardware and software ingredients that OEMs/ODMs can design-in for greater battery life gains.

Intel said at IDF in September, 2004, it was working with its industry partners to achieve 8-hour battery life of a typical notebook by 2010. The platform approach to tackle the battery life issue includes minimizing consumption of key-system components, such as CPU, HDD, chipset, WLAN adapter and display, as well as improving batteries.

According to Intel’s estimation, around 60% of notebooks shipping nowadays support wireless LAN. The company projects 90% and 96% notebooks to sport WLAN in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

With the majority of mobile PCs supporting Wi-Fi, Intel now pays more attention to more wireless communication technologies, such as WiMAX, that is said to be to DSL/Cable broadband the same as cellular telephony was to landline telephony. The microprocessor giant expects about 5 million WiMAX enabled notebooks to ship in 2006, around 20 million in 2007 and over 40 million in 2008.