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As subnotebooks like the Eee PC and the XO become more and more common (they will), a new market will develop around them and copycat machines. Intel hopes to be a player in this new market with its new Silverthrone line of processors. Pentium-class (or x86) processors, the tiny chips can clock up to 2GHz, while only using 600 milliwatts. This would provide a good balance of power and long battery life for subnotes and handhelds, but both Texas Instruments and Sun are setting themselves up as rivals.
All the drama happens at the Solid-State Circuits Conference in SF, with the top chip companies trying to show off their latest micro-advances.
It all gets fairly technical, so read the link below to get the nitty gritty, but the long and short of it is this: if these powerhouses in computing are setting themselves up for a war like this, then you know that it’s a market that’s going to grow quickly, and one we’ll be watching closely.
Intel To Unveil ‘Sliverthorne’ Processor At Heart Of Ultramobile PCs [InfoWeek]