Intel to showcase "limited edition" 3rd Generation Cores
 

Chipzilla plans to show off limited edition 3rd Generation Cores at CES after its plans for Internet telly were squashed by Big Content.

Everyone had been expecting to see Intel's latest plan to kill off cable at CES, but the plan was abandoned because Big Content had been refusing to sign agreements with Chipzilla.

Instead Intel is going to make the more surprising move of showing off some chips at the show and a few ultrabooks and tablets from some vendors.

The limited run versions will be based on Ivy Bridge but will have a power rating below 10 watts. With power management controls the processor to throttle down to a sub-10-watt power envelope.

According to an Intel spokesperson who was leaking to CNET, the chips will enable new ultrabook designs. They are expected to appear soon after the show.

Intel's mainstream Core series processors have ratings no lower than 17 watts -- those versions are used in ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air laptops today. Making them work below 10 watts is the realm of the Atom chip.

It will mean that ultrabooks will have a better battery life and be even thinner.

At the moment Intel is not saying how far below 10 watts these special "Y" series Ivy Bridge processors will go. Apparently they will be described in detail by Intel vice president Kirk Skaugen at CES.

The souped up Ivy Bridge chips were mentioned at Intel's annual developer conference last year. At the time no one was certain if Intel and its partners would go ahead with the project.

Also on the agenda is the future Haswell processor -- due later in the year. Y versions of that chip are expected to offer even better power efficiency than the low-power Ivy Bridge chips.

It is for this reason that the limited edition chips will be thin on the ground. Intel does not want to spoil the launch of Haswell later in the year.

http://news.techeye.net/chips/intel-...neration-cores