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Intel’s New CPU Architecture for OLPC

By Robert | October 21, 2007

Intel is showing some interesting plans while trying to develop new CPU architecture for usage in low cost laptop computers. This appears in the middle of the much debated and so visible CPU market rivalry with AMD. Intel does not want to lose the race so it needs to come up with something that would sell. A CPU architecture sounds just right.

Intel is trying to hit AMD with competition in the field of the one laptop per child notebook program (OLPC). We are dealing with very cheap laptops here and AMD holds the market with their AMD 433MHz Geode LX-700.

The new Intel architecture has been announced but we still do not know much about it. All that we can think about is that it will be cheap and should be similar to the AMD processor that is used at the moment in OLPC. Different reports, especially issued by Yahoo, state that Intel is thinking about utilizing mobile processors that already exist, including the Celeron M, together with the soon to appear Silverthorne processor. The Silverthorne was especially created for mobile computers so it does seem fit to be also used in OLPC. On the other hand, Intel already stated that the requirements brought forward by OLPC will create the need to design a whole new architecture.

Different Intel parts are already utilized in different systems used in OLPC including the ASUS Eee and the Classmate PC. The ASUS Eee personal computer will be shipped soon and will feature a 7 inch screen while being power efficient. Price is still unknown although the original though price tag of $100 is not realistic and the systems will cost more than that. It will be interesting to see the evolution of everything because this is another chapter of the war between Intel and AMD, one that so far sees AMD as the winner but with Intel adding to the mix, we may never know.

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