Intel Corp. may be gearing up to kick off the company’s most expensive marketing campaign in several years, according to a media report. Apparently, the world’s largest maker of x86 microprocessors may pour in hundreds of millions of dollars into promotion of a new mobile platform.

Citing notebook makers, DigiTimes web-site reported that Intel plans to inject $300 million into worldwide sales promotion of the Centrino Pro platform in early 2007. Three years ago Intel already spent $300 million into promotion of the original Centrino platform, which significantly improved the company’s positions in the mobile computing area.

Intel’s Centrino Pro platform, which was earlier code-named Santa Rosa will primarily add performance improvements as well as some new features to the currently shipping Centrino Duo notebooks. The new mobile platform will feature code-named Intel Core 2 “Merom” processor with 800MHz processor system bus, new core-logic code-named Crestline with advanced built-in graphics core, Intel NAND technology that boosts performance of hard disk drives, code-named Kedron wireless network controller compliant with an 802.11n standard, which will increase bandwidth to up to 600Mb/s, and some other innovations. Instead of BIOS, the new platform will support UEFI, an interface that helps hand off control of the system for the pre-boot environment (i.e.: after the system is powered on, but before the operating system starts) to an operating system, such as Windows or Linux.

While generally the new platform has some features that its predecessors lack, it will not be easy for Intel to explain end-users the benefits of the Centrino Pro, as the new laptops will hardly enable any new usage scenarios, but will simply boost performance. Nevertheless, Intel’s campaign may turn out to be successful, as it will coincide with the launch of Microsoft Windows Vista operating system (OS) and Intel may catalyze end-users to acquire notebooks that feature the new OS and Intel’s chips.