Thankfully, it appears that market leaders Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. understand this shortcoming and are moving to address it. Both last year and this year, the all-important notion of performance-per-watt has dominated the spotlight. Greater performance-per-watt results in cooler inside temperatures and increased power efficiencies. For laptops, both of these elements are critical, and addressing them usually translates into longer battery life.
Typically, laptop processor speeds have increased at the cost of battery life. However, with last year's release of its mobile Core 2 Duo processors, Intel made great strides in increasing performance while decreasing power consumption. But can the chip giant keep it up?
Considering how important the mobile computing category is to overall profits, it's clear that AMD will have to deliver some substantially better products to make a dent in Intel's dominance. Can AMD deliver?
Keep reading for details -- including a surprising and novel approach to CPU design by AMD.
Intel pushes its lead
AMD may be top dog when it comes to desktop CPU market share, but Intel wields a sizable market-share advantage in mobile processors. That's largely because of the widespread popularity of Intel's Centrino mobile/Wi-Fi platform. (The platform, called Centrino Duo in its current form, consists of a specific range of mobile processors, a motherboard chip set and a wireless network interface. To be able to call a laptop a Centrino laptop, vendors must use all three components.)
The smashing success of the Core 2 Duo processor and its recent partnership with Apple have only increased Intel's mobile market-share lead over AMD. In order to preserve and extend this advantage, Intel is betting heavily on two technology advances: a new Centrino platform code-named "Santa Rosa" and the debut of a new processor architecture code-named "Penryn."
The chip-making giant will also release a number of new CPUs based on the current Centrino Duo platform as well as the new mobile platform slated for release in the second quarter of 2007.
Welcome to Santa Rosa
In the second quarter of 2007 (rumors have indicated April will be the launch date), Intel will debut the fourth generation of its Centrino mobile platform, code-named "Santa Rosa."
Santa Rosa is a big deal for Intel. In addition to supporting Intel Core 2 processors (several new releases are planned; details below), Santa Rosa will offer the following improvements:
- An 800-MHz front-side bus (FSB) -- the previous FSB speed was 667 MHz -- with "Dynamic Front-Side Bus Switching" technology that is capable of underclocking the FSB during low CPU utilization to save power
- Intel's faster and more thermally efficient Mobile 965 Express chipset, with the GMA X3000 integrated mobile graphics part
- A new CPU socket known as Socket P that will permit the aforementioned 800MHz front-side bus speed; this will replace the current Socket M
- Much faster 802.11n Wi-Fi support (802.11a/b/g will also be supported) via a new wireless platform code-named "Kedron"
- Support for DDR2 800 RAM
- Support for flash hard drives (also known as NAND drives)
- Support for 10 USB ports and 3 SATA ports
- A new form of BIOS known as the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), which will allow for more efficient booting of software and drivers as well as numerous other enhancements (see more details)
When released, this new Santa Rosa variant of the Centrino platform will be named Centrino Pro.
New low-voltage Core 2 Duos
The first half of 2007 will bring the release of a number of new Core 2 Duo CPUs, including the debut of low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage CPUs. Based upon the astonishing performance-per-watt success of the Core 2 Duo mobile CPUs, it's likely that these processors will offer similarly high levels of performance-per-watt as well as unprecedented battery life.
In the first quarter of 2007, Intel will release the L7400 and the L7200, the chipmaker's first low-voltage Core 2 Duo CPUs. (The company has previously released low- and ultra-low-voltage CPUs, but they were based on older Core Duo and Pentium M architectures.) Suitable for inclusion in thin and light laptops, these processors will probably run at 1.5 GHz and 1.33 GHz respectively. Each will have 4MB of shared L2 cache spread across two processing cores and will run on a 667-MHz front-side bus. At the end of Q1 or the beginning of Q2 2007, Intel will likely release the L7500 (1.6 GHz) and the L7300 (1.4 GHz), which will also have 4MB of shared L2 cache. In contrast to the L7200 and L7400 however, these newer mobile processors will run on the new 800-MHz front-side bus.
In conjunction with the release of the Centrino Pro platform, Intel will release its first ultra-low-voltage processor, the U7500. Early reports indicate that this is a 1.06-GHz dual-core processor with 2MB of shared L2 cache that operates on a 533-MHz front-side bus. (While Centrino Pro processors are capable of running at a front-side bus speed of 800 MHz, the U7500 runs at only 533 MHz to conserve power and battery life.) The U7500 will likely make its debut in ultra-portable laptops weighing around 3 lb.
New high-end, mid-range, value Core 2 Duos
In conjunction with the release of the Centrino Pro platform in Q2 2007, Intel will release a number of new Core 2 Duo mobile processors with the faster 800-MHz front-side bus speed. The cream of this new crop will be the T7700, a 2.4-GHz dual-core CPU with a 4MB shared L2 cache. Also scheduled for release in the same general time frame are the T7500 (2.2 GHz), the T7300 (2 GHz) and the T7000 (1.8 GHz), which will also run on an 800-MHz FSB and sport 4MB of shared L2 cache.
Thankfully, Intel is not neglecting the old Centrino Duo platform in the meantime. High-end mobile processors planned for Q1 2007 include the top-line T7600 (2.33 GHz), T7400 (2.16 GHz) and T7200 (2 GHz). All four CPUs will run on the Centrino Duo platform's slower 667-MHz front-side bus, and each will feature 4MB of shared L2 cache.
At the midrange, Intel will ship three mobile processors in Q1. The T5600 and T5500 will run at 1.83 GHz and 1.66 GHz, respectively, on a 667-MHz front-side bus with 2MB of shared L2 cache. In Q2, Intel will ship the T5500P, an identical version of the T5500, but built on the Centrino Pro platform.
At the budget level, Intel will release several new mobile CPUs (currently code-named "Stealey") based on the Core architecture. Q1 should see the release of the Celeron M 520, a single-core 1.6-GHz CPU with a 512KB cache that operates on a 533-MHz front-side bus. Q2 should bring the Celeron M 530. Also single-core, this processor will run at 1.73 GHz and will also feature a 512KB cache and a 533-MHz bus speed.
Finally, a mobile CPU known by the code-name "Gilo" (pronounced GHEE-lo) has raised a considerable amount of intrigue. Nothing is known about Gilo except that it is a 65nm CPU, leading to widespread speculation that this will be Intel's quad-core mobile processor. Intel has refused to confirm this speculation.
Keep an eye out for Penryn
At the end of 2006, Intel announced that it was successfully producing prototypes of a new 45nm microprocessor line known by the code-name "Penryn." Intel has also announced that it will begin production of Penryn CPUs in the second half of 2007, leading to widespread speculation that the market will see the release of these new processors at the end of 2007.
Penryn is based on Intel's Core microprocessor architecture but shrinks the CPU die from 65nm to 45nm. Typically, a smaller fabrication process results in increased clock speeds as well as increased thermal efficiencies and decreased power consumption. Intel hopes that by rapidly moving to a 45nm fabrication process, the company will be able to secure a considerable competitive advantage. Rival chip maker AMD won't be able to produce 45nm parts until mid-2008 at the earliest.
A big factor in Intel's ability to rapidly move into 45nm production is the chip maker's recent announcement regarding the use of "high-k" metal technology to build more efficient transistors for its CPUs. (See "IBM, Intel separately reveal advances in microchips" for the full story.) These new high-k materials should result in increased power and thermal efficiencies across the new Penryn processors.
Much like Intel's Core architecture, Penryn will serve as the primary CPU architecture for all of Intel's processors -- mobile, desktop and server. Intel has released no details at all regarding specific Penryn mobile processors. In fact, it's entirely possible that the mobile market won't see this new architecture until early 2008.
Can AMD innovations close the gap?
AMD's late-summer acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI raised lots of eyebrows in 2006. Analysts, journalists and industry experts alike were intrigued by the prospects of the union. Because Windows Vista utilizes 3-D graphics processing units (GPU) to render its interface, this union could yield high dividends for AMD-ATI in the mobile market, which relies almost exclusively on integrated graphics processors.
Based on early rumors, it appears that the merger will result in some innovative mobile processors under the code name "Fusion" either in late 2007 or early 2008. More details on these mobile CPUs can be found below.
In the meantime, AMD will make a strong surge toward improving its mobile platform and processor line via some interesting-sounding innovations.
65nm Hawk debuts in early 2007
Last year, Intel took a decisive technological lead over AMD by manufacturing many of its mobile CPUs with a new 65nm fabrication process while AMD was still churning out less efficient 90nm chips. Thus, one of AMD's first priorities for the coming year will be to refresh its mobile CPU lineup with 65nm parts. At some point in late Q1 or early Q2, AMD will release a new line of 65nm mobile processors under the Turion 64 X2 and Mobile Sempron lines. These CPUs will form the foundation for all future 65nm mobile processors.
Currently code-named "Hawk," these CPUs will sport several new features, including increased thermal efficiency -- AMD is claiming an idle state that consumes 33% of the power that Intel's Core 2 Duos do in idle -- and support for DDR2 800-MHz memory. No details regarding specific model numbers were available at press time.
Not surprisingly, the release of Hawk processors will coincide with the release of a set of mobile chip sets that will offer a batch of new features:
- Support for 800-MHz DDR2 memory
- HDMI display interface support
- Compatibility with flash hard drives (also known as NAND drives)
- Support for hybrid graphics chips
One of the most intriguing elements of this platform upgrade is the notion of hybrid graphics chips. A hybrid graphics processor will allow for the presence of two different graphics processing units: one fast, powerful discrete GPU (meaning not integrated into the motherboard) and a separate, slower-performing integrated GPU. In theory, the chip set will be able to increase battery life by disabling the discrete graphics processor when a laptop is running on battery power.
It's worth noting that, in contrast to Intel's firm emphasis on specific parts and specifications for the highly recognizable Centrino platform, AMD's mobile platform is a recommendation, not a requirement. Furthermore, while AMD does not build wireless chip sets, the company is claiming that the Hawk platform will be compatible with 802.11n Wi-Fi devices.
Griffin adds HyperTransport 3 technology
Much later in the year, it appears that AMD will roll out another new mobile processor under the code-name "Griffin." Griffin CPUs will also be built on a 65nm process and support DD2 800-MHz RAM. The key difference will be the presence of HyperTransport 3 technology, which will result in increased bus speeds and the ability of the processor to underclock or shut off individual cores if they're not being utilized. (This is known as a split-power plane.)
While AMD has refused to comment on Griffin, the presence of HyperTransport 3 and split-power planes has led experts and analysts to believe that Griffin will make its debut in the form of a quad-core mobile CPU.
Griffin's release will likely coincide with the debut of an all-new AMD mobile/wireless platform code-named "Puma" that supports quad-core architecture, increased power management and 802.11n compatibility.
Looking forward to "Fusion"
While AMD is not expected to release 45nm mobile processors until mid to late 2008, the company has been fairly candid about its work on an innovative new processor known by the code-name "Fusion."
At its core, the Fusion processor is a multicore CPU, but instead of utilizing two (or more) identical CPU cores, AMD will fuse together computer processing units and graphics processing units (undoubtedly supplied by the recent acquisition of ATI) into a single multi-core chip. This relatively new approach to chipmaking is commonly referred to as heterogeneous processing, a term we expect to hear more of as 2007 progresses. At its recent Analyst Day in December 2006, AMD announced a proprietary name of its own for this innovative and potentially exciting methodology: Accelerated Processing Units.
What will Fusion processors mean in real-world performance terms for laptop users? It's early to say for sure, but it will certainly allow for speedier exchanges of information between the CPU and the graphics hardware, which will be handy for gaming and for general Windows interface functionality. Theoretically, it could also allow Fusion-equipped laptops to offload non-graphics functions, such as floating point operations, onto this processor. Finally, an integrated CPU/GPU will allow for decreased power consumption and smaller laptops.
During its Analyst Day presentation, AMD made it clear that Accelerated Processing Units, which will likely not debut until early 2008, will be central to the company's road map for CPU development in 2007 and beyond. (You can watch the four-hour webcast at AMD's Investor Relations site.) To date, Intel has offered no comparable plan or road map for heterogeneous CPUs.
Could this bold long-term road map portend a reversal of market-share fortune similar to the one AMD created when it released its Athlon 64 desktop processors three or four years ago? Time will tell...and we'll be watching.