THE new 45-nanometre High-k mobile processor was one of the highlights at the recent Intel Developer Forum 2007 in Taipei. Codenamed Penryn, the chip comes with improved DirectX-10 graphics capabilities dubbed the Santa Rosa Refresh, which will be featured in Intel’s next-generation Montevina platform.

The platform includes support for DDR3 memory as well as dual Wi-Fi/WiMax (codenamed Echo Peak and available in both a Minicard and half Minicard version) connectivity slated for release in the middle of next year.

Theoretically, as soon as these cards are available, it will be possible for manufacturers to swap out the 802.11b/g wireless Minicard with the Echo Peak for a streamlined

Wi-Fi/WiMax solution.

The Montevina platform is some 40 per cent smaller than the existing hardware, and draws some 25 per cent less power.

On the entertainment side, the Montevina platform will boast support for HD DVD and Blu-ray.

At the event, which is in its 10th year, Intel’s vice president and general manager, mobile platforms group Mooly Eden shared some insights into the Solid State Drive (SSD) in a 2.5-inch form factor, which he said could start appearing in premium notebooks as early as next year.

The SSD solution will also form part of Intel’s server offerings and is based on NAND technology licensed from Micron Technologies rather than Intel’s StrataFlash technology.

“Apart from the cost, there’s basically no other downside as solid-state drives have almost negligible latency and no mechanical parts that can wear out. Other pros include longer battery life and faster startup time,” Eden said.

“Given the infancy of the technology, capacity could be a problem, but given a choice between a 160-gigabyte mechanical magnetic disk and an 80GB solid-state storage, I’d pick the latter.”

Among other third-party

innovations for the mobile platform are a water-resistant and breathable keyboard that allows cool, fresh

air to be inducted from the keyboard area rather than from the bottom that often times gets covered up.

Eden also touched on the current phone market. He explained that the Internet is split between “PC Internet” and “phone Internet”, which is not accessible by phone as the form factor and low-power processor of the smartphone don’t allow for a true Internet experience on the go.

Meanwhile, Intel’s vice president, mobility group and assistant general manager, ultra mobility group Gadi Singer introduced to the audience the upcoming Menlow platform, which promises “full Internet in the pocket”.

Together with a new 45nm High-k low-power microarchitecture and a new chipset codenamed Poulsbo, the Menlow platform could deliver a high-performance,

low-power solution that fits in a

74-millimetre-by-143mm motherboard literally, enabling a system built around it to fit in one’s pocket.

Singer also provided a sneak peek into Intel’s System on Chip codenamed Moorestown that integrates the central processing unit, graphics and memory controller to a single chip which leverages on the benefits of the 45nm process.