With ARM gaining a foothold in the micro-server market, with multi-core processors, Intel is stepping up its response. A key component of Intel's next-generation "Edisonville" micro-server platform, Atom "Avoton" will be designed with a formidable feature-set over what the current-generation Atom "Centerton" offers, according to a MyDrivers report based on a leaked company slide.

Atom "Avoton" will be built on Intel's 22 nm silicon fabrication process, with anywhere between 2 to 8 cores, backed by 1 MB to 4 MB L2 cache. The cores will be designed to support out-of-order processing, correcting a longstanding limitation of Atom processors. The cores will likely be designed with a balanced instruction set to maximize performance per Watt. Processors in the Atom "Avoton" series will be clocked around 2.40 GHz, and will support Turbo Boost technology, which drives core clock speed up to 2.70 GHz. Another big feature change is an expanded IMC, which will support dual-channel DDR3-1600 / DDR3-1600L memory. Enterprise features such as ECC memory and Intel VT, will be included. The chips will likely be built in FCBGA packages. TDP for these chips will be under 20W.

By early 2013, Intel's "Ivy Bridge" micro-architecture will have finally trickled down to the most-affordable (and one of the largest) market-segments. The company is planning to launch three new Celeron socket LGA1155 processor models based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon. The three include the class-leading Celeron G1620, affordable Celeron G1610, and its energy-efficient variant, the Celeron G1610T. The three are dual-core chips that lack HyperThreading, and are configured with 2 MB of L3 cache, DDR3-1333 MHz memory clock limit, and 650 MHz iGPU clock.

The Celeron G1610 is the most affordable of the three, it is clocked at 2.60 GHz, with a TDP of 55W. The Celeron G1620 is the fastest among the three, with 2.70 GHz clock speed, and the same 55W TDP. The Celeron G1610T achieves a TDP of just 35W, with a significantly lower clock speed of 2.30 GHz. The three will occupy sub-$100 price-points. The three will by compatible with current 6-series and 7-series chipset-based socket LGA1155 motherboards.

ORIGIN PC announces the availability of Intel's latest mobile Ivy Bridge processors, the Intel Core i7-3940XM, Intel Core i7-3840QM, and the Intel Core i7 3740QM to their line of award-winning EON Laptops. Now you can experience the incredible speed and performance of Intel's Core i7-3940XM processor, packing a quad-core 22 nm chip, HD 4000 series GPU and 8MB of L3 cache with ORIGIN PC professional overclocking support. Customers can also choose to upgrade to the latest Intel Core i7-3840QM or the Intel Core i7-3740QM mobile processor and take full advantage of their increased speed and performance over their predecessors.

Intel Corporation's chief product officer today described how its low-power processors, starting with the company's 4th generation Intel Core processor family available next year, will set a new standard for mobile computing experiences and innovative Ultrabook, convertible and tablet designs.

Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, David (Dadi) Perlmutter said Intel reduced the platform idle power of its 4th generation Intel Core processor family based on the next-generation "Haswell" microarchitecture by more than 20 times over the 2nd generation while delivering outstanding performance and responsiveness. He also said Intel will add a new line of even lower-power processors based on the same microarchitecture to its roadmap starting in 2013.

Intel Corp. has yesterday expanded its CPU offer, adding to it both desktop and mobile models built on 22 nm and 32 nm technology. On the desktop side, the company launched several Core i5 and i3 chips, including the GPU-less Core i5-3350P, plus one Celeron and six Pentium CPUs based on the Sandy Bridge architecture (see the SB mention in the chart). These mid- to low-end desktop parts are priced between $177 and $37.

While Intel had nothing high-end for desktops, the company did introduce a new mobile flagship, the 22 nm Core i7-3940XM which costs a whopping $1,096 and packs four cores clocked at 3.0 GHz. Other releases include two more quad-core models - the 2.8 GHz i7-3840QM and the 2.7 GHz i7-3740QM, and a couple of low-end Celerons (B830 & 887).

Besides rolling out new chips Intel has also lower the price tag of three processors, the 3.40 GHz Core i3-2130 (from $138 to $117), the Pentium G2120 (from $86 to $75) and the Pentium G550 (from $52 to $42).

Intel's new entry-mainstream line of client processors, the Core i3-3000 series, is inching toward a Q3-2012 launch. The new chips are based on the company's 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon. Ukranian retailer Hotline.ua listed two of the first five Core i3-3000 series models for pre-order. These include the Core i3-3240 and Core i3-3220. The Core i3-3240 is clocked at 3.40 GHz, while the i3-3220 runs at 3.30 GHz. The two are socket LGA1155 dual-core processors featuring 3 MB of L3 cache. When launched, the i3-3240 will sell for around US $147, while the i3-3220 will sell for US $125.

Intel's next high-end desktop (HEDT) platform, codenamed "Ivy Bridge-E," is slated for Q3-2013, according to the latest platform road-map slide sourced by VR-Zone. According to the leaked slide, launch of Ivy Bridge-E Core i7 processors follows that of Core "Haswell" socket LGA1150 processors (Q2-2013). What's more, the upcoming Ivy Bridge-E chips will be compatible with existing socket LGA2011 motherboards, based on Intel X79 Express chipset.

Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge-E chips are up-scaled versions of today's Core "Ivy Bridge" chips, built on the same 22 nm process, with more processing cores, memory channels, cache, and PCI-Express 3.0 certified system interfaces. It remains to be seen if Intel launches a new chipset to go with the new processor, or retains the X79 chipset with a few minor updates in the form of steppings. The company retained its X58 Express chipset over the first two HEDT processor generations (45 nm Core i7 "Bloomfield" and 32 nm Core i7 "Westmere").

Intel's Taiwan office quashed media reports of its Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" processor being launched in August, stating that the new 22 nm mainstream chips are on course for a June 24 launch. The company also reiterated that the targets Intel set for the proliferation of Ultrabook by the end of 2012, that of 40 percent of consumer notebook market consisting of Ultrabook, hasn't changed. Intel's 22 nm Core i3 processor could play a key role in that, since it facilitates cheaper Ultrabook designs. The Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" family consists of value dual-core parts based on Intel's newest processor architecture.

Apple today unveiled an all new 15-inch MacBook Pro featuring a stunning Retina display, all flash storage and quad-core processors in a radically thin and light design. Measuring a mere 0.71 inches and weighing only 4.46 pounds, the completely redesigned MacBook Pro sets a new standard in performance and portability for pro users.

"The MacBook Pro with Retina display pushes the limits of performance and portability like no other notebook," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "With a gorgeous Retina display, all flash architecture and a radically thin and light design, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built."

Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) 4-inch mini-PC concept is taking shape as more of a premium mini-PC, than an affordable mainstream PC. According to sources, the NUC will arrive some time in Q3 2012, priced at US $400. The base system will be powered by a Core i3 dual-core processor paired with HM65 chipset, about 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, 40 GB mSATA SSD, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The first-generation NUC hence sticks to mature previous-generation components, while 7-series chipset, and 22 nm processors could be part of its specifications a little later. The demo system at Computex was driven by a Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" processor, with a Turbo Boost speed of 2.70 GHz. A cheaper Celeron-powered version of the NUC is also on the cards.

Intel is working on a strange new processor model based on its new 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon, the Core i5-3350P. This part is reported to lack integrated graphics, much like the Core i5-2380P and i5-2450P, from the previous generation. The new i5-3350P will be a quad-core chip, with 6 MB of L3 cache. It comes with a base clock speed of 3.10 GHz, and 3.30 GHz Turbo Boost speed. Like every other Core i5 quad-core processor, it lacks HyperThreading. The lack of integrated graphics also takes a toll on its TDP rating, which is down to 69W. The new Core i5-3350P is expected to be launched in Q3, 2012.

BIOSTAR, a world famous manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and peripherals, starts sales of the next-generation BIOSTAR TZ77B boards based on the latest Intel Z77 chipset and meant for powerful desktop systems with an excellent price/performance.

The boards are designed for the latest third-gen Intel Core CPUs (Ivy Bridge) manufactured using the 22 nm fab process based on the 3D transistors and retain the full backward compatibility with the second-gen Intel Core CPUs (Sandy Bridge). They support all Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 chips for the LGA 1155 socket with the TDP up to 95 W including Intel K-Series chips with the unlocked multiplier.

World's top 3 motherboard manufacturer ASRock today announced that its entire line of Intel P67, H67 and Z68 series motherboards will support Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs by updating the latest P version BIOS & Drivers! Via an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU, ASRock P67, H67 and Z68 series motherboards are resurrected. Users may expect more powerful processing speed yet lower power consumption by the world's first 22 nm 3-D Transistors.

"Besides pursuing extremes with hardcore hardware enthusiasts and die-hard gamers, making high-end technology easy and accessible for everybody is also one of ASRock's goals." commented James Lee, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at ASRock. "We have no doubt that users will be thrilled as much as we are with these updates, it will be like experiencing a brand new motherboard all over again."

Dell today announced that customers such as Morphlabs and Vibrant Media are using Dell microserver technologies based on Intel Xeon processors to power business-critical web 2.0, cloud, and content delivery networks (CDN), as well as high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Driven by the emergence of a growing hardware and application ecosystem, x86-based microservers are rapidly evolving from a niche solution to one with widespread awareness and value.

"We're constantly inspired by the unique ways our customers are leveraging Dell microserver platforms to drive specialized web 2.0, HPC and cloud computing applications," said Forrest Norrod, vice president and general manager, Dell Server Solutions. "As the microserver market and ecosystem have matured, customers like Vibrant Media have validated that microservers are a cost-effective, scalable platform in web 2.0 environments."

Eurocom Corporation (www.eurocom.com), a developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable notebooks is adding the newest AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU to the 15.6" EUROCOM Racer 2.0 notebook. Eurocom will also offer the AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPUs separately to existing customers as an upgrade option.

The EUROCOM Racer 2.0 is a 15.6" small form factor Mobile Workstation utilizing the Intel Mobile HM 77 Express Chipset with support for the full line of 22 nm Ivy Bridge Processors. Graphics support comes from AMD Radeon HD 7970M with support for up to three storage drives. The Racer 2.0 supports 32 GB of DDR3-1600 memory for unforeseen multitasking ability and performance in a 15.6" system.

With its 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" CPU and 7-series "Panther Point" platform turning into a reality, Intel is moving on to development of the new 22 nm "Haswell" architecture. Entry-thru-performance segment Core "Haswell" processors will be built on the new LGA1150 package, and will be driven by a new series of platform controller hubs, codenamed "Lynx Point". We already know a tiny bit about the way Haswell+Lynx Point platform is structured, and the features that could come standard with it. A new VR-Zone report lists out all the chipset models Intel will carve out using the silicon.

The lineup is quite predictable. At the top of the pile is the feature-rich Z87, which has all the features of the platform, plus overclocking features. This is followed by Z85, which apart from features such as Rapid Storage Technology, could lack RAID for its SATA ports (could only feature AHCI and IDE modes). Then there's H87, which has all the features of Z87, except platform overclocking features. Q87 and Q85 are for large business desktops, and feature various client management features. Then there's B85, for small businesses. Lynx Point could feature as many as six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Rapid Storage Technology will be updated to present users with a level of customization. Then there's Fast Boot, which speeds up system startup, provided an Intel SSD is used for caching.

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer and subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., announces new CPU support for the S5515 and S5517. These embedded motherboards now support the 3rd Generation Intel Core processor product family (codename: Ivy Bridge) with a quick bios update. These two platforms now deliver the benefits of Intel's 22 nm Core i3/i5/i7 processor architecture with stronger performance, consistent reliability, and low cost in small form factor that targets various applications in the embedded industry.

TYAN's S5515 and S5517 embedded motherboards now offer support for 3rd Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors. Existing motherboards will only need a BIOS update to support the new processors. Intel's 3rd Generation Intel Core processors offer greater performance with multiple expansion options such as PCI-E x16 Gen.3 slots, SATA 6G/3G controllers, U-DDR3 1600/1333/1066 w/o ECC memory slots and USB 3.0 ports. These two products deliver enhanced computing performance, greater 3D (tri-gate) effect and more RAM support. This makes them the ideal platforms for customers with critical requirements from telecom, networking, storage, medical imaging, embedded severs, security and surveillance appliances.

Intel finally got the ball rolling on its third generation Core processor family codenamed "Ivy Bridge", which will go into making most of the company's client processor portfolio for 2012. These chips are characterized as being the world's first microprocessors built on the 22 nanometer silicon fabrication process. Intel aided miniaturization of circuits to such tiny scale thanks to 3D Transistor technology, a space-efficient nano-scale transistor design that enables chip-designers to achieve higher transistor densities, and come up with ever more powerful chips.

The third-generation Core processor family is based around a single die design (pictured below), from which it will carve out numerous SKUs in the client market in May-June, and enterprise market (under its Xeon brand, towards the end of June). These SKUs will be carved out by toggling the various parallel components (such as x86 cores, cache banks, processor graphics cores, and of course clock-speeds). The new Core processor family is expected to feature higher performance per clock-speed, and higher efficiency. Intel's Kirk Skaugen has been quoted by the BBC as saying "This is the world's first 22 nm product and we'll be delivering about 20% more processor performance using 20% less average power."

Although slated for June, Intel's budged 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" processors, under the Core i3 brand extension, matter a lot to system builders, small businesses, and enterprises. Three of its first models to be launched are priced. These include the Core i3-3220, priced at 113€ (US $149); Core i3-3225 at 130€ (US $172); and Core i3-3240 at 132€ (US $172).

The i3-3220 succeeds the current-generation Core i3-2100, it is clocked at 3.30 GHz. The i3-3225 has the same clock speed, but a faster integrated graphics (HD 4000 vs. HD 2500 on the i3-3220). The i3-3240 is clocked at 3.40 GHz, but retains the slower HD 2500 graphics from the i3-3220. All three chips are dual-core, lack Turbo Boost, but feature Hyper Threading. The PCI-Express root complex is thrown back to PCI-Express Gen 2.0, they lack Gen 3.0.

Intel Corporation today reported quarterly revenue of $12.9 billion, operating income of $3.8 billion, net income of $2.7 billion and EPS of $0.53. The company generated approximately $3.0 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $1.0 billion and used $1.5 billion to repurchase stock.

"The first quarter was a solid start to what's expected to be another growth year for Intel," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "In the second quarter we'll see the first Intel-based smartphones in the market, ship products based on 22 nm tri-gate technology in high volume, and accelerate the ramp of our best server product ever, providing a tremendous foundation for growth in 2012 and beyond."

With eager OEMs such as ASUSTek, HP, Acer, and Lenovo breathing down its neck, Intel is reportedly pulling forward the official launch date of its 3rd Generation Core processor family based on 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon, to the 23rd of April, from its older date of 29th April. 23rd April will be the day Intel announces all its processor models originally slated for the 29th.

Notebook OEMs are expected to launch their products based on these chips at the earliest, by May. The date of market-availability of these chips in the retail channel, however, remains unclear. One possibility is that Intel will announce and make these chips available on the same day (23rd), while another possibility is that it announces these chips on the 23rd, allows the media to digest them (by posting reviews), and open them up for sale on the 29th. Two models every PC enthusiast and their cat are looking out for, are the Core i7-3770K and Core i5-3570K.

Intel is planning to launch a line of low-power Xeon processors in Q2-2012, which will be the company's first Xeon processors built on the 22 nm fab process, with 3D transistors. It is quite likely that these chips are built in the LGA1155 package, however Intel is only releasing low-power variants, which ensures performance-segment Xeon E3-1200 family isn't disturbed, and more importantly, it doesn't have to pull out the best bins of its 22 nm Ivy Bridge silicon just yet (for use in higher clock-speed Xeon parts).

Intel has another emerging problem. With the advent of "micro-servers" (low power independent servers in high-density data-centers, which provide better cost-performance and manageability than virtual servers), ARM processor architecture is making inroads to the enterprise computing market. Intel's answer to that is refining the same silicon that goes into making low-power Atom processors, and making it enterprise-grade. This part is codenamed "Centerton", and Intel expects an entire micro-server platform based on these chips to be out in the second half of 2012.

Although Intel will launch its first 3rd Generation Core processor family, based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon, towards the end of this month, it will not be in a position to launch Core i3 desktop processors until Q3. These include 3.40 GHz Core i3-3240, the 3.00 GHz Core i3-3240T, the 3.30 GHz Core i3-3225, the 3.30 GHz Core i3-3220 (slower IGP) and the 2.80 GHz Core i3-3220T. All these chips pack two cores, four threads (with HyperThreading enabled), and 3 MB of L3 cache.

The standard models have 55W TDP, with the energy-efficient "T" models bearing just 35W rated TDP. Introduction of these chips was originally slated for June, but the delay to Q3 may have been caused due to a variety of factors, such as undigested inventories of current-generation chips or even lack of 22 nm production volumes (with a bulk of them being allocated to mobile chips). Q3 begins in July.

Over the past few days, several retailers have been reporting shortages of 15-inch MacBook Pro 2011 (including its variants based on higher processor clock speeds), suggesting that Apple is lowering its production to make way for the new 2012 MacBook Pro. Apple is a known early-adopter of technologies, and the advent of low-TDP 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" processors by Intel could catalyze 2012 MacBook Pro.

The new MacBook Pro launch is imminent, according to Apple Insider, and could happen any time this month. We know from older reports that by design, the new MacBook Pro closely resembles Apple's successful MacBook Air. The new MacBook Pro could be driven by Intel's Core i7-3820QM or Core i7-3720QM "Ivy Bridge" quad-core processors, with integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, and options for discrete graphics.

MSI released details about its upcoming value socket LGA1155 motherboard, the B75MA-P45. MSI finds the B75 PCH a worthy option over the current-generation H61 PCH, and could hence price its B75-based motherboards competitively, to capture the entry-level LGA1155 market. The B75MA-P45 comes with out of the box support for 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" Core processors, apart from current-generation "Sandy Bridge" ones. The B75MA-P45 packs a simple 5-phase VRM to power the LGA1155 CPU. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory.

Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, one PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. The legacy PCI logic is reintegrated with the PCH, and so the board doesn't use any bridge chips, further, since USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s are integrated with the PCH, MSI didn't add third-party controllers handling the two. SATA connectivity includes one SATA 6 Gb/s, and five SATA 3 Gb/s. The PCH gives out four USB 3.0 ports, two of which are found on the rear panel, two via internal header. Display connectivity includes DVI and D-Sub. 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and legacy PS/2 connectors complete the package. The board is driven by UEFI firmware (5 MB ME 8.0), with a graphical setup program. The B75MA-P45 is said to capture a price-point under US $100.