IDF: Craig Barrett keynote centres on convergence

 

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Posted on 19 Feb 2003 at 10:28

CEO Craig Barrett kicked off the Intel Developer Forum on Tuesday with a vision of converging technologies. Explaining how computing was joining forces with communications, he argued that Intel was developing the products to enable the convergence. Not surprisingly, for the company which invented the microprocessor, integration was the key factor for helping to keep costs down.

The headline act should have been Centrino, Intel's new mobile platform, but Barrett strangely left this for later technology demonstrations elsewhere at the show. Centrino brings together the CPU previously codenamed Banias with a new chipset, and wireless networking. The first products, to be launched on 12 March, will use the Banias CPU, now branded Pentium M, at clock speeds up to 1.6GHz. Banias blends technologies from Pentium 4 and Pentium III, for a powerful yet low wattage processor. Intel claims the average consumption will be sub 1W, considerably lower than the current generation. The Pentium M is partnered by the 855 chipset in two flavours - one with integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 and one without. Both support up to 2GB of PC1600 or 2100 DDR memory. The last piece of the puzzle is the wireless networking, which must be in the shape of an Intel PROWireless chipset. Initially, this will be 802.11b supplied on a mini-PCI card, but future generations of Centrino will have the wireless networking integrated onto the chipset, or even the CPU itself. Intel also claims Centrino will offer extensive accreditation with commercial access points, thus offering assurance of compatibility with public hotspots.

In a demonstration of silicon photonics, Barrett showed off Intel's technology for integrating an optical transmitter onto silicon, allowing a processor to be directly connected to optical fibre. The story of integration continued down to the smallest devices, including a reference design for a portable video player. On 18 February at 3GSM, Intel announced its entry into the mobile phone market with Hitachi and other manufacturers pledging to use the company's Xscale processors in their latest handsets. Barrett took this one step further, announcing the PXA800F, previously codenamed Manatoba, which Intel claims is the first single chip solution for cellphones. Manatoba combines a 312MHz Xscale CPU, GSM and GPRS wireless radio, and 4MB flash memory all on one piece of silicon - something which would have take four or five chips previously. So far, only Korean firm Maxon has announced products using the new CPU, but more partners are in the pipeline.

Barrett also demonstrated Intel's platform concepts for the years to come. Newport is an extension of the tablet PC and smart display ideas. It's based on Centrino, with seamless switching between wireless technologies on the fly, a screen detachable from the keyboard, and closelid computing. For the latter, a mini LCD screen on the lid of the PC is intended to give access to many functions, such as email, even when the lid is closed. The Marble Falls concept combines a small form factor desktop with serial ATA and PCI Express alongside a dual LCD monitor.

By bringing together many once disparate technologies, Intel hopes to have a key role in almost every computing device. Perhaps Barrett summed it all up best with his final remark 'The future belongs to us'. Although the CEO was referring to what convergence had to offer the world, he could just as well have been talking about his own plans for Intel's future.

Author: James Morris, PC Pro Editor, San Jose