Processors Toolkit

One Year Ago: Intel lays out mobile CPU roadmap

Richard Barry ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 18 May 1998 00:29 BST

Intel's mobile road map, which historically has trailed its desktop counterparts by months, may finally catch up later this year.

The company will kick things off this week with the release of a 133MHz Pentium processor with MMX Technology. Intel will follow that release with lower-voltage processors for portables later this year and in 1998.

The 133MHz processor joins the 150MHz and 166MHz MMX-enabled processors, which were announced in January. Intel backpedaled to the slower clock speed because of an initial lack of volume, said Charlie Carey, product marketing engineer at Intel.

Early in the fourth quarter, Intel will introduce Tillamook, the code name for 200MHz and 233MHz Pentiums with MMX, Carey said. The chips will be Intel's first built using the more efficient 0.25-micron process, which yields significantly more processors per wafer.

The processors will be available in both tape carrier package and brand-new MMO (mobile module) packaging. MMO is a plug-in module that includes the chip, chip set, cache, voltage regulator and clock. MMO helps OEMs sidestep the extra work associated with mapping the components on the system board.

Due in the first half of 1998 is the mobile version of Pentium II, code-named Deschutes. Details are scarce, but the chip also will be built on a 0.25-micron process.

Although pricing for the 133MHz MMX systems will be set by PC makers, Intel expects them to cost between $2,000 and $3,000.