INTEL WIMAX CORE i7 CHIP

Intel senior vice president Anand Chandrasekher, speaking Monday at IDF, said that Intel will collaborate with Ericsson for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) data modules for the Moorestown platform. WiMax is also supported, but it faces stiff competition from entrenched wireless technologies and may not be compelling enough to rise above the fray.

In addition to WiMax and HSPA, other wireless technologies including WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and mobile TV will be supported on Moorestown, Intel said.

Moorestown is a system-on-a-chip (SOC) comprised of "Lincroft," which integrates a 45-nanometer processor, graphics, memory controller, and video encode/decode onto a single chip. It also includes an "I/O hub" code-named Langwell that supports connection to wireless, storage, and display components.

Intel was also showing a number of slides that detail its upcoming Nehalem i7 processor and the accompanying X58 chipset. Intel said last week that Nehalem is shipping now and is due to be officially rolled out in November.

The i7 will initially appear as a quad-core processor and feature QuickPath Interconnect--a high-speed chip-to-chip communications technology--and "Turbo Boost," which had been referred to previously as "Turbo Mode." This is essentially a switch that turns off unused processor cores and then uses the remaining active cores more efficiently.

In Taipei, Intel also delineated the differences between Atom-based "Nettop" desktops and more mainstream desktop PCs. Intel is trying to promote Nettops for Web browsing, word processing, e-mail, and "legacy" games. Anything more taxing than these basic applications is not recommended for Nettops.

Intel Core i7 and x58 chipset features.

(Credit: Intel)

Intel Atom-based Nettop desktop.

(Credit: Intel)

INTEL CENTRINO 2 CHIPSET

Intel has delayed the next generation “Montevina chipset until mind-July, with a formal launch in mid-August says PC Magazine. “Montevina” is the next-generation Centrino chipset, used in laptops and will include enhanced wireless capabilities with WiMAX and 802.11n.

The new laptop design was originally expected to be launched in a week. Montevina-based notebooks will be known as Intel Centrino 2.

Intel kicked off day two of its Spring IDF with some announcements about its next Centrino platform, codenamed Santa Rosa, and its successors.

As we all know by now, Santa Rosa is the 2007 Centrino platform, which will officially start shipping in May. Santa Rosa is composed of Intel's Core 2 Duo processor, the mobile Intel 965 Express chipset, Intel's Wireless-N networking, Intel's Gigabit Ethernet as well as optional Intel Turbo memory. The latter is now the official marketing name for Intel Robson technology, which is on-motherboard NAND flash memory that can be used by Vista to speed up the OS via ReadyBoost or ReadyDrive.

In the first half of 2008, Santa Rosa will get a refresh to support mobile Penryn processors. Currently Intel is only indicating updated processor support with the Santa Rosa refresh; the rest of the components may remain unchanged.

After the Santa Rosa refresh, also currently scheduled for 1H 2008, is the Montevina platform. Montevina will also support Penryn but it will be equipped with a mobile version of Intel's P35 chipset, codenamed Cantiga. Cantiga will bring about DDR3 memory support which may actually be attractive in notebooks due to lower power consumption. The real killer in Montevina is WiMAX support, which will hopefully enable very wide area wireless network access on notebooks in areas where there aren't localized 802.11 networks. Montevina will also bring updated Ethernet controllers and a second generation Robson technology.

The close proximity of the Santa Rosa refresh and Montevina launches does confuse us a bit, and we're skeptical of whether or not Intel will stick to this schedule. Two new Centrino platforms in a 6-month window just doesn't seem like a good idea.

The Centrino 2 “Cantiga” chipset, their integrated Intel graphics chip, is causing other delays. Intel has decided not release a chipset initially with Intel integrated graphics.

“There were two minor issues we found during final testing – one with our integrated graphic chipsets, which we have found a workaround for but need to re-screen our parts, and second around our wireless wi-fi chip, which was a paperwork and certification mistake we made,” said Bill Kircos, a spokesman for Intel, in an email to PC Magazine.

“Both of these led us to establishing a launch date for our mobile processors and discrete chipsets of the week of July 14th, and taking a couple of weeks to get the right readiness and volume for the rest of our components,” Kircos added. “We’re looking at early August for that.”

The Echo Peak wireless module will support both WiMAX and 802.11n technologies and will be available in prices ranging from US$43-54, depending on specifications. Meanwhile, the Shirley Peak module will support only 802.11n technology with prices between US$19-30.

However, regulatory delays also affected the Montevina chipset, according to Doug Freedman of American Technology Research, who published a report last Friday claiming that the chipset had suffered “hiccups,” as a “mis-step” in the FCC certification process would prevent the chipset from being sold within the U.S. Freedman also claimed that Montevina also suffered from errors within the integrated graphics portion of the chipset.

Freedman also wrote that it was possible that notebooks would ship with older 802.11a/b/g radios, instead of the newer 802.11n technology.

INTEL WIMAX "ECHO PEAK"

Intel is one of the biggest company who is developing WiMax technology successfully in the chip side. Many service providers are seeing initial success using WiMAX based on the 802.16-2004 standard for fixed and nomadic applications such as last-mile broadband. Fixed WiMAX networks based on Intel WiMAX Connection 2250 802.16-2004 client devices are an ideal way for service providers to enter the fixed WiMAX broadband services market now with proven technology. More than 40 service providers have deployed commercial fixed WiMAX networks using Intel-based CPE equipment. In addition, Intel is actively engaged with many of the more than 240 service providers worldwide that are preparing for both fixed and mobile WiMAX trials and deployments. Most famous from them are Airspan, Alvarion, Aperto, Redline, Proxim, SR Telecom.

With the first WiMAX products (based on the 802.16e-2005 standard) becoming available in early 2007, service providers may soon begin to realize the potential of advanced fixed capabilities along with added mobility. With the addition of mobile capabilities, 802.16e-2005 WiMAX networks will be able to deliver broadband Internet access to people on the go.
Intel is bringing to market standards-based, low-cost, highly integrated silicon solutions that are expected to facilitate global delivery of notebooks, Ultra Mobile Devices, and a wide array of consumer devices with the Wi-Fi/WiMAX dual-mode module (codenamed "Echo Peak"). Add-in cards will be available in 2007 and embedded modules in 2008. The integration of Wi-Fi and WiMAX promises convenient and affordable broadband connectivity in the home, at the office, as well as on the go, enabling users to enjoy a common experience on either network and to gain access to real-time, high-value information wherever they are.

Echo Peak harnesses the range and performance benefits of the latest smart antenna technology called Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). MIMO configurations on the Echo Peak module are 1x2 for WiMAX and 3x3 for Wi-Fi. 1x2 refers to a 1 Tx (transmit) and 2 Rx (receive) antenna configuration and 3x3 refers to a 3 Tx and 3 Rx configuration. For Wi-Fi, a Wi-Fi access point connected to a 3x3 Wi-Fi MIMO client needs 3 Tx and 3 Rx antennas to take full advantage of the client’s configuration. For WiMAX, with its asymmetric antenna configuration, the base station is assumed to have 2 Tx antennas that transmit to the 2 Rx antennas on Echo Peak, enabling what is referred to as 2x2 downlink (DL) MIMO. With this configuration, Echo Peak clients can support up to 10 Mbps on DL and up to 3 Mbps on UL.
Echo Peak is capable of supporting up to three bands for flexible radio frequency support. The three radio bands supported include 2.3-2.7 GHz, 3.3-3.8 GHz, and 5.1-5.8 GHz. All three antennas are capable of supporting all three bands. The Echo Peak Wi-Fi module includes the latest Wi-Fi advances from Intel’s new Wi-Fi solution, code-named “Shirley Peak,” to enhance range and performance. Echo Peak fully supports 802.11a/b/g networks and the latest WLAN technology based on the 802.11n specification, Draft-N to deliver more than 2x the range and up to 5x the performance of 802.11g networks. Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N technology has able to 3x3 (450 Mbps), 1x2 (TX = 150 Mbps/RX = 300 Mbps), Smart Antenna Technology/MIMO Enhancements, Beam Forming and Space-Time Diversity Coding (STBC), Beacon-Based Location Services. Echo Peak enables users to easily connect to Wi-Fi or WiMAX networks, depending on which network can deliver the best connectivity. A connection manager software utility scans for Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks and assists users to switch easily between the different networks according to connectivity rules defined by the user, IT or service providers.