April 25, 2007—Intel Corporation announced last week that it will begin producing a more energy-efficient, next-generation family of computer processors in the second half of 2007, according to a newsletter from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The Penryn family of processors will include a dual-core processor for mobile computers, dual- and quad-core processors for desktop computers, dual- and quad-core processors for servers, and a processor for “higher-end server multiprocessing systems,” according to Intel.
Drawing on new technology that shrinks each transistor on the chip to a mere 45 nanometers (nm), or billionths of a meter, the new quad-core processors will incorporate 820 million transistors, says Intel. The 45-nm transistors save energy by switching more than 20 percent faster with a reduction in switching power of about 30 percent, while power leakage through the transistor is cut by more than an order of magnitude.
The Penryn processors will not only save energy and boost performance in desktop models, but will also extend battery life in laptop computers, using what Intel is calling “Deep Power Down Technology.” Intel claims to have 15 products under development using the 45-nm technology, and is already making plans for its subsequent family of processors, to be called Nehalem.
For more information visit Intel.
