Intel Plans to Launch and Mass Production Duo-Core Atom Processor in July

Intel new Atom family processors have gained much traction in both UMPC and MID markets as well as embedded world. Not long ago after the recent launch of Intel Atom single core processor, now there seems to be a plan for the giant chip maker to release a Duo-core version Atom processor in next quarter.

According to reliable source, Intel duo-core Atom processor will be clocking at maximum of 1.6GHz, which is similar to existing single core processor. This is very useful especially when handling multi-threaded tasks that a single core processor may have been overloaded with. In terms of form factor and pin count, both single and duo-core are exactly the same which make them drop in replaceable (pin compatible) without the need to redesign the whole platform. Only one drawback, the TDP (Thermal Design Power) value for the duo-core is estimated to be 4 Watt higher (increase from 12 Watt to 16 Watt) as compared to existing single core version. This is expected and board makers should have ready to redefine their thermal management system to cater for the change.

The Duo-core Intel Atom will be in mass production by next quarter. It may be a good news for some manufacturers that are looking for higher performance ultra low power processor. But just another thought, would it cannibalize the existing market that the single core has, since the availability of the duo-core is too soon after the release of the single core version?