INTEL PREVIEWS YONAH CHIPSET 05/04/2005

With the launch of Intel’s ‘Sonoma’ second-generation Centrino chipset still a fresh memory, the processor giant is already looking to the future of laptop CPU’s. Scheduled to appear in late 2005 or early 2006, the currently-codenamed ‘Yonah’ chipset will represent the first dual-core laptop processor from Intel, and looks set to extend battery life further than previously possible.

Utilising a technology known as Dynamic Power Coordination (DPC), the Yonah chip allows greater control over energy consumption by allowing one processer core to rest while another is at work. According to Intel, the Yonah chip will initially consist of a single piece of silicon with two cores built-in. By keeping the power consumption of each of the cores separate from the other, when laptop workloads are light on resource needs, the chip is able to slow down one core and therefore extend mobile usage.

With battery life a prime concern for the modern laptop user, the ability to extend time away from mains power is an area that many home and business users will be able to immediately benefit from. Although it’s still a few months until the laptop market will be able to fully realise the potential benefits of the Yonah chipset, this is still an area that the industry will be keeping a firm eye on. Only time will tell if Intel will succeed in taking mobile technology yet another step closer to the ideal of an eight-hour laptop battery life.

Contact:
www.intel.com