posted by Jay Gilbert on March 31, 2008
SSG, Intel’s 3200 (or so) strong software developers will be showcasing their best efforts at IDF this week in Shanghai, China and I for one am really looking forward to the opportunity to engage this audience and show how software really does make a difference to Intel platforms.
SSG unlike virtually all other Intel groups has teams focused on most all aspects of Intel platforms. From low level drivers through middle-ware up through applications, ISV enabling and much more, SSG adds value to the platform and ecosystem and we hope to showcase this capability throughout the event.
At IDF this week we’ll be presenting numerous technologies, applications and industry efforts through a broad series of sessions, labs, chalk-talks and demonstrations in the Technology Showcase. Also, our VP, Renee James will be a keynote presenter on day 2 of the event.
If you get the opportunity come by the Tech Showcase to see our 11 demonstrations or join us in one of our many presentations so that you can engage with our presenters and learn more about Intel Software.
posted by Kelly Feller on March 31, 2008
Visual Computing, virtualization, & vPro…oh my!
In this new era of connectivity and conversation, Intel is excited to announce our collaboration with Ars Technica on an Intel sponsored forum. What does that mean? The long and short of it is that we are bringing Intel technology experts, industry experts, and the Ars Technica community together for a frank discussion on subjects that relate either specifically or tangentially to Intel technology.
Joined by Ars moderators like Jon Stokes in addition to well known technologists like Matt Papakipos of Google and Steven Woo of Rambus, this dialogue should be no less engaging than the other delicious debates and discourse for which the other Ars forums are known.
The juicy topic out of the gate? Stream and visual computing followed by discussions on server, virtualization, and manageability and security. So don’t be shy; join the conversation and have your questions answered by the real engineers and technologists responsible for bringing you innovative and ingenious Intel technology.
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tagged: Ars Technica, forums, manageability, security, virtualization, visual computing
posted by Ken Kaplan on March 31, 2008
Milliwatts to petaflops. May sound silly to some, but it has a more sobering ring when spoken and shown among friends attending an Intel Developer Forum. It’s a theme for what’s coming, but it’s also a spirit that’s been driving fervently for 40 years: Taking Intel architecture where it’s never been before — smaller, faster, more energy efficient — and helping computer, device and software makers create better, more meaningful products for business, governments and our own lives.
In this audio Podcast, Intel Senior Vice President and Digital Enterprise Group co-GM Pat Gelsinger calls the Intel Developer Forum “the ultimate geekfest.” It’s where he sees tech experts getting together to invent a new reality. He’s keen on two key topics at IDF Shanghai:
Milliwatts — Tiny mobile devices bringing rich media Internet experiences through a milliwatt-powered Intel processor…carry small, live large
Petaflops — building the first high performance computers able to churn our petaflops of performance to solve previously unsolvable problems
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tagged: Dunnington, IDF2008, IDFShanghai08, Menlow, MID, Nehalem, Pat Gelsinger, petaflops
posted by Ken Kaplan on March 31, 2008
Friday at Intel headquarters, I met up with Ultra Mobile Man Uday Keshavdas to see what he was packing up for his trip to Shanghai for the Intel Developer Forum. In this video, we go inside his work area and see some of the devices his team demostrated at the Consumer Electronics Show. He’s fired up to see how people react to the new designs that will be revealed at Shanghai this week, especially the sleek, new user interfaces. Then he cracks open an mobile Internet device (MID) showing where the Intel Atom processor fits. That thumbnail area packs in the computing oomph many have yet to experience in such a tiny mobile device.
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tagged: IDF2008, IDFShanghai08, Intel Atom, MID, mobile device
posted by Knut Grimsrud on March 29, 2008
This is my first attempt at a blog, and the blog folks tell me I can feel free to write what I wish. I wonder if they might have had me confused with someone else and when they come to their senses I’ll get a polite note. In any case – here goes…
I’ve been particularly frustrated lately with the behavior of my Intel IT laptop system. Don’t get me wrong – our IT guys are doing great with a thankless job and my frustration is not with them, but with the experience my system gives me.
The other day, I was between meetings and I had forgotten where my next meeting room was and needed to quickly check my calendar to find out where I was going. I always suspend my laptop (which is a brand new model) instead of hibernate so I can resume it as quickly as possible, so I opened the lid on my laptop so I could check my Outlook calendar.
I see various demos and claims of resume speeds, but that doesn’t even remotely coincide with the resume speed of my new laptop after it has been configured with all the requisite corporate security and whatever other middleware is installed on my system. Often times, I resume my laptop and although the desktop might appear relatively quickly (in the geological sense), it often takes several minutes for me to be able to actually do anything useful (like open Outlook and check my calendar). I have noticed that it’s nearly always the case that while my system is bogged down and unusable that the little hard drive light on my laptop is stuck on (often for minutes at a stretch). Don’t tell my IT guys, but I have developed a habit of terminating some tasks like the virus scanner or our corporate backup utility whenever I catch them in the act.
Whatever the extra IT software is that runs on my system, it seems to be able to detect when I’m in a hurry and performs extra operations at those times, and this day was no different. I’m standing in the hallway holding my laptop on one hand and waiting for the system to resume and become productive so I can click a couple buttons with my other hand. I think one of the principles of Einstein’s theory of special relativity is that when you’re in a hurry time stretches out, and I’m standing there in the hallway for what seems an eternity.
I finally did manage to get into my calendar and determine where my next meeting was. It was now several minutes past the hour and I was in a hurry, so I closed Outlook and shut the lid on my laptop to suspend it while I rushed to my meeting.
I had a little walking to do and I hustled right along, but by the time I arrived it was about 5 minutes past the hour. After apologizing for my tardiness, I put my laptop on the table, connect the projector to it and open the lid… in time to see the message on the laptop screen “Preparing to Standby” followed by the screen going black. Argh!
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tagged: hard disk, IDF, IDF2008, Intel, performance, SSD
posted by Nick Knupffer on March 26, 2008
Not according to the latest SPECpower benchmark results. But first, no doubt you all saw the excellent press coverage the new low voltage Xeon announcement garnered. But what does it mean in practical terms?
Well, let me remind you of our low power line up: We have several new 45nm high-k metal gate quad-core Intel Xeon processors, two of which have a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 50W and one that has a TDP of only 40W (mainly for use in embedded applications). These chips are up to 25% faster than their 65nm predecessors. It is worth noting that we also have a range of quad-core desktop chips, including versions that come in 65W flavours ideal for small desktop form factors.
And power is an important consideration in the datacentre, where according to IDC every Watt represents an energy and cooling spend of $2 per year. Previously, measuring power efficient performance was a difficult task with many methodologies. Do you measure TDP’s? Add them together to make an arbitrary number? Or use idle power? or create some kind of average power half-way house? None of these solutions was satisfactory. Was just low power important? Or did you also need to measure performance?
So the industry has come together to create a benchmark to measure power efficiency, and the new Intel low voltage chips have raced to the top of the ladder to claim the top prize. (At the time of writing) SPECpower is the first and so far only industry standard energy efficiency benchmark.
The new chips also boast a very low idle power of only 16 Watts - this is just 4 Watts PER CORE!!! How does Intel do this? Well, smart design and the wonders of Intel’s magic 45nm high-k metal gate silicon process technology. This make the processors ideal for use in blades and other high density form factors.
Now that you are going to rush out and purchase large numbers of these new chips - what else can you do to make sure your system is as energy efficient as possible? Try these helpful tips:
Happy shopping!
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tagged: efficiency, intel, low voltage, power, processor, quad core, spec, specpower, xeon
posted by Connie Brown on March 25, 2008
It had been one of those days where lots of little things just went wrong. To top it off, I lost my notebook in a rush to pick up one of my kids and get them to a doctors appointment. I clearly remember undocking it and putting it in my bag, but after that it was a blur. When I arrived to pick up my son for his doctors appt I notice I didn’t have my laptop bag. I searched the minivan and it was nowhere. I pulled out my trusty Blackberry and frantically e-mailed and called my colleagues who sit near me to see if they could check to see if I had left it in my cube. In eight years of having a laptop I have not left it at work before. I had horrible visions that perhaps when loading the minivan I left it in the parking lot and cars were running over it. Panicked questions filled my brain, when was the last time I backed up my data? What would I tell my boss? How long would it take to get a replacement? How would I work that night without it? Did IT read my earlier blog entry that I wanted a different model? Would they hold that against me? Of course all my colleagues were all in meetings. I debated if I should cancel the doctors appointment or just leave my son there (he’s 12) while I drove back to the office, but it was rush hour and would take a long time. One of my colleagues e-mailed from her meeting and said she would check in 20 minutes. After a long 20 minutes, she confirmed that my laptop was in it’s bag sitting in my cube. She secured it for the night and it was ready for action the next morning.
How about you? Ever lose your laptop? What did you do?
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tagged: Blackberry, Centrino, Intel, laptops, notebooks, panic, work, working mom, working parent
posted by Ken Kaplan on March 19, 2008
The Intel Developer Forum has been one of the most tech inspiring gatherings I’ve participated in since joining Intel in 2000. The latest incremental advancements, demonstrations that show visionaries are not creating pie in the sky, and the roadmap updates. Yes, the roadmap updates. What gets me zooming is the swirl of the people who come from around the world. Thousands of top hardware and software engineers upgrading their multicore skills and teaming up to build the next new thing — from supercomputers to tiny Mobile Internet Devices to the ever better performing wired and wireless world connecting us to the Internet. The technology is awesome, but the people attending IDF make it meaningful.
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tagged: Developer, Hardware, IDF, IDF2008, IDFShanghai08, Innovation, Intel Atom, Mobile Devices, Mobility, Nehalem, Shanghai, Tukwila, virtualization, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Wireless
posted by Bryan Rhoads on March 18, 2008
Here’s a clip of our trip to SxSW in Austin TX last week. I was there w/ a crew from PodTech where we approached folks w/ a Core 2 Duo silicon core and asked… “What’s inside them?” and how does this little miracle enable their creative expression, work, life and play?
The clip:
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tagged: Atom, Core 2 Duo, MID, podtech, SxSW 2008, video
posted by Connie Brown on March 12, 2008
First of all I must say that I don’t even feel like I’m worthy enough to blog about this important anniversary. There are so many engineers, marketing folks and executives that have put their blood sweat and tears into this product line who could give you historical and technical perspectives that I can’t.
But what I can say is how it affects me and how it impacts my life.
As a working parent, my notebook is my single most important tool I have. I spend more hours with my notebook then with my husband (sometimes he’s not happy about that). If I had to choose between my car and my notebook, I’d choose the notebook. It gives me the flexible options I need to be successful professionally and personally. I can do my job from anywhere. I can connect with my friends and family while I’m on the road.
I can’t imagine going back and being chained to a desk, not being able to work from home, the airport, Starbucks or wherever I need to be.
How has Centrino affected your life?
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tagged: anniversary, Centrino, Intel, laptops, mobility, notebooks, pcs, Wi-Fi, wireless
posted by Bryan Rhoads on March 09, 2008
SxSW Interactive in Austin TX has been a fantastic show. It’s a show where mobile Twittering is the norm and intimate enough to meet/greet experts and a few legends.
This prototype MID I’m blogging on has been a bit of a buggy challenge. The Linux browser likes to crash in MovableType (or it doesn’t like the secure https is my guess… so I’m typing quickly). My strategy is to caffeinate and blog simultaneously for the nimblest mobile blogging possible.
The photo (or breakfast?? taken w/ the MID) is of an Intel Atom processor (middle) next to the silicon core of an Intel Core 2 Duo… The Atom’s silicon is within the small metallic center… so quite a bit smaller. But these very typed words are coming to you via my Atom-based MID.
Even though it’s a prototype, this new device is light-years ahead of my UMPC I got last summer. The slide out keyboard is a much better design than the “on the side” split design… but maybe that’s just me. Looking forward to the production version coming this summer.
Quick shout out to Lionel Menchaca, Dell’s blogfather, and to Shashi Bellamkonda who get’s my vote as the most original job title… Network Solutions’ “Social Media Swami”.
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tagged: Atom, mids, Silverthorne, SxSW 2008
posted by Ken Kaplan on March 07, 2008
That’s Intel’s head of marketing Don MacDonald speaking on a panel at the Cinequest Film Festival on February 29 — Leap Day! He took an engaged crowd on a flying leap when he said: “We’re all on the cusp of a whole new industry.” Sure radio was big and TV changed our lives, but today we’re seeing the confluence of ever better computing power, high quality media gone digital and the availability to send and receive feature movies through the Internet. These are having a keen impact on what’s happening between what movie makers do and how we all are getting the movies we want to see.
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tagged: Cinequest08, Don MacDonald, Intel@Cinequest, IntelAtom, Movie Distribution, Movie Making, Silverthorne
posted by Bryan Rhoads on March 05, 2008
A few of us are heading down to Austin TX for the annual SxSW music/film/interactive festival for the long weekend. Beyond the panels, events, and BBQs, I’ll have an early MID prototype from Gigabyte.
This engineering prototype is running Linux and features the Intel Atom processor. I’ll put it through its paces riding along on the Bikehugger Urban Ride through the streets of Austin. Its new, it may be a little buggy, but I’ll find a few hotspots or shady spots to blog w/ my MID.
If you’re at the show, join us for the ride and/or come find me w/ my Aigo.
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tagged: Atom, Gigabyte, mids, Mobile Blogging, silverthorne, SxSW 2008
posted by Ken Kaplan on March 05, 2008
Sometimes little things are a big deal. That’s what hit me when I first heard the new Intel Atom name announced this week. Like the tiny superhero “Atom Ant,” one of my favorite childhood cartoons by Hanna Barbera.
I did a little peckin’ around and found I wasn’t the only one on the planet singing the Atom Ant tune. “Megalomaniac genius” Ripclaw was also feeling the minature yet mighty groove.
According to Wikipedia, Atom Ant “possessed such things as a mainframe computer and exercise equipment. His powers mostly consisted of the ability to fly, superspeed and amazing strength.” Seems fitting, even the mainframe computer small enough to fit in a anthill.
Looking back to February 2006, there’s “Cartoon: Intel Atom” by Brian Clapper, who seemingly had an “atom inside” vision and sketched it out.
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tagged: Atom, CentrinoAtom, Diamondville, IDFShanghai08, Intel, IntelAtom, MID, Silverthorne
posted by Esther Baldwin (孟木兰) on March 05, 2008
Innovation is an increasingly popular word, you see it everywhere. If you look back in time it has gone from the occasional appearance in articles and magazines five years ago to the current situation where every company from cookies to cameras has innovation in their mission statements, vision and product ads.
Innovation is also a personal passion of mine. After serving in a variety of roles at Intel for the past 20 years – ranging from teaching ASIC engineers about cell-based design and adding test methodology to their designs, to manufacturing and then a start-up business – I worked in the IT Innovation group and just moved to my current role doing Research Proliferation with the Intel Research team. I recently co-authored Managing IT Innovation for Business Value with Martin Curley, a book from Intel Press. It has a lot of information and tips for innovators.
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tagged: Esther Baldwin, IDF2008, IDFShanghai08, Innovation, Intel, Managing IT Innovation for Business Value, Research, TRIZ
posted by Uday Keshavdas on March 04, 2008
Intel just announced the arrival of its latest baby, Intel Centrino Atom processor technology. It is a baby in the very sense: it is small, just born and shows all the promise of bright future for mobile computing. Here is why I am so excited about this new processor.
Many of us use mobile computing to make life easy and more productive which involves keeping in touch, getting information, accessing your business applications and of course entertainment. Today a variety of single function devices are available, such as GPS navigation, media players, smart phones, web tablets, etc… But with the Internet now delivering the bulk of these experiences, the single function devices are challenged to provide a desirable Internet experience.
To simplify this, the industry predicted and saw early attempts of device convergence. That’s where things get interesting. Can the industry deliver one device that can be the best navigation device, best entertainment device, best communication device and yet behave like a computer for productivity when required? A device that has the performance of a PC and the simplicity of the iPhone? That is the promise of Centrino Atom.
But, for a device to behave different in different contexts, its not just the hardware. Software plays a critical part in delivering the functionality you want. Users demand rich experiences that need solid performance that is responsive and delivers amazing graphics. This requires a seamless dance between software and hardware. That is the promise of Centrino Atom.
So, what would you do when you can get your hands on this device? Better yet, what do you think your ideal killer device should do for you? Can Intel’s Centrino Atom meet that challenge?
posted by Connie Brown on March 04, 2008
Or at least this will be the case for Intel Centrino 2 processor technology. The next Centrino platform formerly codenamed “Montevina.” The “2” lets you know that its Intel’s latest and greatest mobile laptop offering.
It will feature unprecedented processor performance for faster multitasking, high-bandwidth Wi-Fi (802.11agn) and for the first time, an optional integrated WiMAX/Wi-Fi module. Centrino 2 also has power-saving design to provide the longest possible battery life.
Centrino 2 is scheduled to debut in Q2 2008.
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tagged: intelcentrino2
posted by Paul Bergevin on March 03, 2008
A confession: I get jazzed when the tech industry shakes things up with innovation and new products. For geeks like me, these are interesting times indeed. Who’s not curious about the creative response of handset manufacturers to the challenge of the iPhone, for example? Bring it on!
I’m especially fascinated lately by the emergence of a new category of PCs we’re calling Netbooks. It started with a trickle and could soon turn into a flood. So what’s a Netbook?
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tagged: 45nm, Atom, Classmate PC, eeePC, IntelAtom, iPhone, Netbook, OLPC, Silverthorne
posted by Brian Fravel on March 02, 2008
Atom. One of the smallest things in our universe, and a very appropriate name for Intel's new line of processors that are not only Intel's smallest processors, but also contain the world's smallest transistors.
Today, Intel unveiled the new brand, Intel® Atom™ processor, and a brand extension to the Intel Centrino® brand family: Intel Centrino® Atom processor technology. Soon, you will see the Intel Centrino Atom brand on handheld devices that can bring an amazing internet experience in a device that fits in your pocket. You'll see the Intel Atom processor powering a growing category of devices aimed at delivering affordable, Internet-centric uses.
These new engines for new categories of devices are really special because they were designed from the ground-up. These aren't a desktop PC processor modified for low power. The new Intel Atom brand family was designed for a mix of performance, low power usage, size and affordability. Customers will be able to purchase an Intel Atom processor that maximizes any one of those 4 attributes, depending on their targeted device. To make this a reality, Intel used its cutting-edge manufacturing technology: 45 nanometer, Hi-k metal gate technology. Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? In simple terms, this is the same manufacturing technology that is used to produce Intel's latest desktop, notebook and server processors.
Enough performance to deliver an amazing internet experience in your pocket. Low power. Built on world class manufacturing technology using the world's smallest transistors. A new miracle in miniaturization: The Intel® Atom™ processor.
Brian Fravel
Intel Director of Marketing, Brand Strategy
Comments (28)
tagged: Atom, brand, centrino atom, diamondville, Intel Atom, new processor, silverthorne
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