Intel has added several new features for its upcoming 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family, code named ‘Sandy Bridge’, for laptops and PCs.
The processor range will be in production later this year and is expected to be built into laptops and PCs from early 2011.
The chips will expand Intel’s battery life, performance and will add a number of visually related features built into the chips.
They will be based on Intel’s first new “visibly smart” microarchitecture produced on the company’s manufacturing factories at 32-nanometre process technology with second-generation high-k metal gate transistors.
“The way people and businesses are using computers is evolving at an explosive rate, fuelling demand for an even more powerful and visually appealing experience,” said Dadi Perlmutter, executive vice-president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group.
“Our upcoming 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family represents the biggest advance in computing performance and capabilities over any previous generation.
“In addition to offering these features inside Intel-based laptops, we plan to scale these advances across our server data centre and embedded computing product portfolio,” said Perlmutter.
What in Intel’s new processor family
The processor family will include a new “ring” architecture that allows the built-on processor graphics engine to share resources, such as cache or a memory reservoir, with the processor’s core to increase a device’s computing and graphics performance while ensuring it is energy efficient.
The 2nd Generation Intel Core processor also has an enhanced version of Intel Turbo Boost Technology.
This automatically shifts or reallocates processor cores and processor graphics resources to accelerate performance, tailoring a workload to give users an immediate performance boost when required.
The new processor graphics focuses on delivering on areas where most users are computing, such as HD video, 3D, mainstream gaming, multi-tasking and online socialising.
The chips also come with Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), which delivers an improved performance, rich functionality and the ability to better manage, rearrange and sort data.
A new 256-bit instruction set accelerates floating point intensive applications, including photo editing and content creation.
Intel also demonstrated a dual processor, next-generation Intel Xeon processor server rinni ng Vidyo video conferencing software which uses the 32 threads available on the system and takes advantage of the AES New Instructions set (AESNI).
Xeon processor for two socket servers and workstations run eight cores and 16 threads per processor and will be in production in the second half of 2011.
