Beyond targeting the company's traditional computing businesses, Intel intends to customize members of its new product line to fit specialty applications in the Mobile Internet Device (MID), consumer electronics and embedded markets, noted Doug Davis, vice president of Intel's digital enterprise group.

"As the number of Internet-connected devices reaches into the billions, performance expectations rise and device sizes shrink," Davis explained. "These products enable our customers to rethink their own innovation and system design."

A Shared Layer of Capabilities

Based on Intel's Pentium M processor, each "smart" SoC device joins an integrated memory controller hub with a variety of communications and embedded I/O controllers. And four of the new chips will feature Intel's QuickAssist Technology, which simplifies the use and deployment of security and packet accelerators in Intel-based PCs.

Additionally, several of Intel's new chip designs are based on the same blueprint, called Intel Architecture (IA), that the company has used as the basis for developing the processors that run the bulk of the Internet today.

"By designing more complex systems onto smaller chips, Intel will scale the performance, functionality and software compatibility of IA while controlling the overall power , cost and size requirements to better meet respective market needs," said Gadi Singer, vice president of Intel's Mobility Group. This will enable Intel to deliver "more highly integrated products ranging from industrial robotics and in-car infotainment systems to set-top boxes, MIDs and other devices."

In response to the growing need for complex integrated systems, Davis said Intel has created a shared layer of capabilities that integrates Atom cores, fabrics and interconnecting IP blocks. Having this additional layer riding on top of Intel's technology means that highly efficient -- and precisely targeted -- products will be able to reach the marketplace at the fastest possible pace.

The Trend Toward Integration

Intel's style of SoC design "is pretty much what you have to have if you are going to put a chip into the embedded market, where you have a lot of different requirements and need different feature sets," said Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at iSuppli. "So this is something that does not surprise me." (continued...)

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