We learned today that Transmeta Company know very well for its Crusoe processors is working on a new CPU family, which will be known as TM8000. The major distinguishing feature of the new processors will be a 256bit VLIW core (Very Long Instruction Word).

As is known, Transmeta processors do not belong to x86 architecture as we understand it. They use the so-called Code Morphing technology and are actually emulating x86. For this reason Transmeta processors are pretty slow, however they boast another very important advantage over the competitors: low power consumption, which makes them ideal for mobile devices and other solutions requiring low power consumption.

According to this source, 256bit VLIW unit will let the CPU perform more instructions per clock. Moreover, the power consumption is expected to drop by another 47%, while the performance should double or even triple compared with what the previous TM5x00 Transmeta CPU showed.

Unfortunately, the company representative refused to quote any numbers or dates, because of the problems that have already delayed the launching of TM5x00 some time ago.

I would also like to stress that Transmeta products are very popular in Japan, and the company’s wealth depends a lot on this market. According to their annual reports, 92% of the company’s revenues come from the sales in Japan. However, Transmeta’s rep mentioned that the company interests were also presented in the USA and in Europe, where they are planning to promote their products actively in the near future.