Intel Corp. plans to make its "most significant technology announcement of the year" during a press event on Wednesday, according to several blog posts and media reports. The exact details about the announcement are not clear at this point.

It is presently unknown what exactly the world's largest maker of chips plans to reveal. Many industrial observers believe that the company will detail its 22nm process technology along with its new manufacturing strategy (which may include elements of foundry business), its new Medfield system-on-chip for smartphones along with certain plans for consumer and low-power electronics. In addition, Intel may make a significant announcement concerning its general strategies for different markets.

Intel will have four factories that will manufacture using 22nm process technology, a major shift from the company's typical approach to have two to three fabs. The company's product lineup for 22nm chips will also be broader as the company will start to make chips for mobile and consumer devices. As a result, 22nm represents a major shift for the company in terms of manufacturing stategy.

"We remain on track to begin production on our 22nm silicon process technology by the end of this year. This revolutionary technology will further distance Intel from the competition across all segments of computing," said Paul Otellini, chief executive officer of Intel, during a recent conference call with financial analysts.

Intel did not comment on the news-story.

Tags: Intel, 22nm, Medfield, Itanium, x86