Atom chips


Atom chips

A family of low-voltage x86 CPUs from Intel that is designed for portable devices. Along with the introduction of the Atom in 2008, Intel coined the term "netbook" for small, entry-level Atom-based notebooks.

Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, Atom CPUs use Intel's Bonnell microarchitecture, which delivers more performance per watt than Intel desktop CPUs. The chip footprint is also significantly smaller; for example, a single 12" wafer can yield 2,500 Atom chips, compared to 600 Core chips. In addition, Atom chips create a fraction of the heat. See x86.

Centrino Atom for Laptops
Centrino Atom is the Atom chip platform, which includes an Atom CPU and Intel graphics and radio chips. See Centrino and netbook.

Medfield Atom for Smartphones
In 2012, Intel introduced its Atom-based Medfield system-on-chip (SoC) for the smartphone market. Medfield was the first Intel SoC that requires only two additional ICs (radio chip and power management chip) to make the device work.

Clover Trail Atom for Tablets
Also in 2012, Intel debuted its Atom Clover Trail SoCs, designed for longer battery life for Windows 8 and Android tablets. See SoC and mobile platform.