Intel’s Atom Leads the Mobile Device Wave
We start with Moore's Law, which states (roughly) that the number of transistors which can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. In other words, electronics component density will allow computers to double their efficiency to size ratio every two years. This means that devices can keep getting smaller, and that devices of the same size can keep getting more powerful.
You can see this fast pace happening in computing today. In the early 1990s, a 486 microprocessor desktop computer seemed outrageously powerful then, but today's cellphone beats it many times over for processing power. We have handheld game sets today that outperform the gaming consoles of a decade ago. Moore's Law is expected to remain in effect for at least another decade, limited only by the physics at the molecule level.
Not many people realize that the "Moore" of the law's name was Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, and he said it in 1965. So it's logical that Intel itself would work to keep up with that pace, and the Atom processor is its latest iteration. At speeds ranging from 800 MHz to 1.87 GHz, the Atom can be credited with bringing the smartphone and ultra-mobile computing platforms to the next level.
Shown here compared to an Australian 5-cent piece, the revolutionary chip performs the full x86 and x86-64 instruction set. Although 64-bit computing is still in its infancy, this processor is ready when the time comes. In the meantime, the Atom has been launched in three varieties as of March 2008; the 200-series for the desktop, the N27x-series for laptops, and the X5xx-series, for UMPCs and other mobile Internet devices. Atom-powered netbooks, as cited in a recent Slashdot article, linking to a write-up at thestandard.com, have given the netbook platform a much-needed boost, providing advanced functionality at a lower price.
Of course, we aren't going to let the Atom hog the spotlight, even in its own article. The Atom and Intel has two competitors. AMD has the mobile platform in mind with its Mobile Sempron line, and has launched development of its Griffin and Puma projects. But the surprise is VIA Technologies, which has traditionally stayed in the motherboard chipset end of circuitry, but has recently launched the Nano processor. Both AMD and VIA have established a niche in the processor race, but so far have yet to topple Intel's lead in the market.
In a move which has been historic for open-source software, Intel founded the Moblin project. Moblin is the Linux-based software platform aimed at building applications that run on devices based on Intel Atom processor technology. This has more of an aim towards embedded devices and subsystems, but has also attracted the attention of major Linux distributions. Canonical is working on Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition, and Xandros has announced plans to make an optimized distro for the Intel Atom platform through Moblin. Of course, Microsoft systems already run very well on Intel Atom as well, since Microsoft and Intel has played well together for decades now.
Between the Atom and the Moblin project, Intel has ensured that they have a smart position in the market. With a sagging global economy and much upheaval expected in the world markets, Intel has stated that the Atom represents "a perfect recession-time product", since it enables smaller and more economical devices to have comparable power to larger laptops. And with Moblin, they have inspired a surge in software development to ensure an early market niche. When you have to launch a new technology, always look to the open source crowd to pay attention first.
Filed Under: Featured • Mobile Computing • News in Technology • Product Reviews
