Intel Ivy Bridge Release: Next Generation Computer Chips Debut

NEW YORK — Intel Corp. said Monday that PCs with chips from its new generation of processors, featuring a revolutionary design, will be available this week.

The new generation, code-named "Ivy Bridge," is the first to be made with a 3-D structure. Miniature fins jut out of the plane of the chip, letting Intel cram more features into the same space. That means the chips can be faster while consuming less power.

Analysts have called it one of the most significant developments in silicon transistor design since the integrated circuit was invented in the 1950s. In terms of manufacturing technology, it puts Intel two to three years ahead of the competition, said Romit Shah at Nomura Securities.

The first chips off the production line are destined for powerful desktop computers. Intel hopes to have them in laptop computers in time for the "back to school" shopping season. CEO Paul Otellini said he expects "Ivy Bridge" to account for 50 percent of Intel processor shipments by the fall.

The "Ivy Bridge" chips are the first to be made with 22-nanometer-sized features, down from 32 nanometers. Smaller features mean more transistors, or working parts, can be squeezed into the same area. That means a chip can be smaller and faster.

The new chips also come with improved 3-D graphics performance, which could reduce the reliance on add-in graphics chips for gaming.

The launch of Ivy Bridge was delayed for about three weeks, Intel said, because it wanted to be sure it had enough units on hand for the launch.

Separately, the first phone with an Intel processor went on sale Monday in India. It's made by local phone manufacturer Lava International Ltd. Intel, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., has also struck deals with Lenovo Corp. and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. to have them make phones with Intel chips.

The phone chips aren't part of the Ivy Bridge generation, but they also demonstrate reductions in power consumption. Intel's chips are powerful compared to standard phone chips, but high battery drain has kept them out of phones until now.

Intel's stock fell 15 cents, or 0.5 percent, to close Monday at $27.45. A week ago, it hit a seven-year high of $28.78.

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Comments

[derickma]

09:28 AM on 04/25/2012

for most users ( office work) a dual core it plenty you need to start talking gpu when you get into video editing and Photoshop or CAD and from the looks of the benchmarks this isn't your typical integrated graphics it may actually give Nvidia and AMD something to think about. the hard core GPU's are still going to be on add on cards but for most people I think this GPU on the die will work fine for them .

[SlamDawg]

07:15 PM on 04/24/2012

And after all this, their stock is down! Now how did that happen?

[trumphent]

05:48 AM on 04/25/2012

It's inevitable. Shrinking chips are expected by the investors. I currently use a 4x64bit processor with graphics processor all on one die. I still find that amazing. In a short time, it will be hopelessly obsolete. Intel's stock price dip is weather. The new processor discussed in the article is climate.

[Lonnie DeVorak]

06:33 PM on 04/24/2012

Just something else that I will have to have.

[disporting]

03:46 PM on 04/24/2012

Interesting. I'd like to see it before I buy onto it.

[bellsblu2]

12:56 PM on 04/24/2012

(yawn) It's STILL just a phone.

I'd like a new GUI with a twist of 3D and telepresence please.

[authorized-user]

01:51 AM on 04/24/2012

Is this like discovering the world isn't flat?

[Mr Crabs]

11:15 PM on 04/23/2012

Oh darn and here I am chugging along with my Q6700 that can still max out any game. Processor isn't where it's at for desktops. It's still all about your graphics setup. The only place I slightly lose out on is video editing/conversion. And still not by much.

[jsarets]

12:31 AM on 04/24/2012

Single-thread logic processing has not improved dramatically in the past couple years, while stream processing certainly has, but the quiet revolution in logic processors is this: today we can get the same or better performance from Ivy Bridge as we got from Conroe in 2006, but we get it with 17W of power draw instead of 65W. That means we get four times the battery life.

The problem for Intel is that the ARM vendors can deliver reasonable logic performance and stream performance which is flat-out superior to Ivy Bridge in a 2W package. NVIDIA is throwing lots of resources at its Tegra line, based on GeForce-derived stream cores, and that's a problem for Intel.

Then there is Broadcom, ahead of the times with the VideoCore architecture, in which the cleverly-designed stream processor is the main processor, and the ARM core is demoted as a logic co-processor on the system bus. This is the chip behind the Raspberry Pi, the $35 credit card sized computer which supports full HD graphics.

[dwill123]

09:21 PM on 04/23/2012

Moore's law

[ADRealist]

08:51 PM on 04/23/2012

I just purchased a Alienware MX17. Got it used with a 3 year warranty.

Paying only %65 of it's market value makes it so I don't have to kick myself every time a new technological upgrade comes out since I can get a significant portion of my money back when I decide to sell it for a newer one.

[Bertski]

06:34 PM on 04/23/2012

"But I just bought the latest and greatest thing last week!" (I can hear this echoing through the internet universe)

[groucho42]

06:50 PM on 04/23/2012

computers are like cars and there's an old saying about autos: What's the most expensive thing about buying a new car? Driving it off the lot. :)

[ResearchtheFacts]

06:28 PM on 04/23/2012

I have a system now with 3D graphics and it is intel. It is the only laptop I bought that I actually hate.  Despite the Intel motherboard and a dedicated graphics card with over a gig of ram, it displays the crappiest graphics you ever want to see on a high resolution display monitor.

Between the eyestrain, noise of the fan blowing to cool off the processor and motherboard from overheating and frying--it  performs poorly. Took most of the software off. Put a Linux operating system on it and if I could just push a quiet button I could use it. But the noise is so annoying it is virtually impossible to use accept in a room with other load noises. They can keep it and I wouldn't take it if someone gave it to me. Serious overheating problems and poor performance. The specs are ALWAYS greater than the functionality. I use to have high opinions of Intel products.

I have the same motherboard that is in the ultrabooks. I have been through at least 15 motherboard replacements under the warranty. Finally had enough and bought a new laptop.

[sarabono]

01:22 AM on 04/25/2012

Try the Performance Mac Pro with Apple Display for superior graphics

[mojo filter]

04:55 PM on 04/23/2012

Geez, these computer guys are smart. They just keep coming up with new stuff.

[edavis0528]

04:12 PM on 04/24/2012

They maximize the profit of each generation before moving on to the next. Everything coming in the next 20 years is written in a leather bound journal somewhere.

[IndyGuy]

03:53 PM on 04/23/2012

I have an older MacBook Pro. I'll probably wait a year or two to get a new one, especially with these new Intel chips. I would love to have a much faster graphics GPU as mine is ok, but nothing to write home about.

[jsarets]

04:38 PM on 04/23/2012

If you can wait until mid-late 2013, then Intel is expected to release Haswell, a single-chip solution with competitive graphics and integrated peripheral bus controllers (PCIe, SATA, USB, Ethernet, etc.).

Ivy Bridge has somewhat better graphics than Sandy Bridge, but it's the same underwhelming graphics architecture, just more shader units crammed onto the chip due to the 22nm tri-gate process.

[IndyGuy]

06:53 PM on 04/23/2012

Thanks for the info! I may wait a while longer. I have a desktop computer for gaming with an awesome graphics card but I want something with more power for my laptop. I'll be investigating.

[Ralph Petersen]

07:04 AM on 04/25/2012

Buy another MacBook Pro in 2 years any you will be getting the processor that was just anounced from Intel, Apple is not about the newest it's about Apple virticle marketing.