Intel Names New Chip Family

Intel's latest reminder that it's readying chips for ultramobile computers comes in the form of a branding announcement: Its 45-nanometer processors, code-named Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be called Atom, and its Menlow processor will be called Centrino Atom."You?ll see the Intel Atom processor powering a growing category of devices aimed at delivering affordable, Internet-centric uses," according to Intel's mobility blog.

Intel hasn't announced a specific date for Atom's release, though the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker says it plans to go to market with mobile Internet devices based on Centrino Atom next quarter. Low-cost notebooks and desktops based on Atom will hit the market sometime during the third quarter.Computerworld