Intel details Moorestown platform for ultramobile PCs

Intel will detail its future Moorestown platform for ultramobile PCs on Wednesday, even though the chips won't be available until 2009.

Moorestown is scheduled to replace Menlow, a package of chips set to debut early next year. Menlow is designed for ultramobile PCs and includes the dual-core Silverthorne processor and Poulsbo single-chip chipset. These chips can be paired with modules for WiMax, Wi-Fi, or 3G mobile services for hardware makers that want to add wireless support to their devices.

Moorestown's biggest advantages will be smaller size and lower power consumption. An ultramobile PC based on Moorestown will consume one-tenth of the power that a Menlow-based device requires when idling, Intel said.

Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, is scheduled to discuss some details of Moorestown in a speech at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

Moorestown will consist of an SOC (system-on-chip) design that packs a CPU, graphics processor, video, and a memory controller into a single chip. Previously, many of these capabilities were handled by a separate chipset. Combining them with the CPU allows Intel to reduce the space required by the chips and save power.

In addition to the SOC, Moorestown will include a communications chip, which will handle input/output for storage and wireless connections.