Intel Atom; A Brilliant Nanotechnology

"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors. The Intel® Atom™ processor is based on an entirely new design, built for low power and designed specifically for a new wave of Mobile Internet Devices and simple, low-cost PC's. This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."

– Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney

Newly designed from the ground up, 45nm Intel® Atom™ processors pack an astounding 47 million transistors on a single chip measuring less than 26mm², making them Intel's smallest and lowest power processors. All this while delivering the power and performance you need for full Internet capabilities. Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of x86 and x86-64 CPUs (or microprocessors) from Intel, previously code-named Silverthorne and Diamondville processors, designed for a 45 nm CMOS process and intended for use in ultra-mobile PCs, smart phone and other portable and low-power applications. Atom CPUs are surprising for more than one reason: they have modern functions (EM64T, SSSE3, etc.) grafted onto an older architecture The Atom is the first in-order x86 since the Pentium. Power management and fabrication costs are the two imperatives Intel seems to have been guided by, at the expense (with no attempt made to hide it) of performance. So, no, don’t expect a competitor to Core 2 Duo.

• Get a new range of power-efficient devices with excellent performance enabled by all new hafnium-infused 45nm high-k silicon technology

• Increase energy efficiency in smaller more compact designs with a thermal design power specification ranging from less than 1W to 2.5 watts for mobile devices

• Extend battery life in select devices with an incredibly low idle and average power allowing the device to stay powered on while also conserving energy

Produced	2008–present
Common manufacturer(s)	Intel
Max CPU clock	800 MHz to 1.866 GHz
FSB speeds	400 MT/s to 533 MT/s
Min feature size	0.045 µm
Instruction set	x86, x86-64
Cores	1, 2
Package(s)	441-ball µFCBGA
Core name(s)	Silverthorne, Diamondville