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chipmonk
Hector the Sector Wrector was not happy with just bringing down SPS, he went on ...
peter.clarke
Not an error surely, just being humerous. And because it was humorous use of $, ...
Intel tips Medfield specs, Lenovo, Motorola deals
Peter Clarke
1/10/2012 8:00 PM EST
Many chips in Medfield
However, the Medfield platform is not a single chip. It requires a separate power management IC that not only performs power management control but has audio functionality and USB controller on one chip, according to Bell. It is possible that another company may provide this chip.
The wireless modem is also a separate IC; originally the IFX6260 HSPA+ modem IC, from Infineon Technologies AG. That IC became an Intel part when the company acquired the wireless business unit of Infineon at the beginning of 2011 and has been relabeled by Intel variously the IMC6260 or the XMM 6260.
A third-chip within the Medfield platform is a combination connectivity chip from Texas Instruments that provides Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio and it appears that GPS support comes from CSR plc.
Intel has produced a reference design of smartphone to show off its Medfield platform, which looks a bit like an iPhone. The unit has been flashed around before by various Intel executives when keynoting.
Intel smartphone reference design based on 32-nm Medfield platform
Intel said the design offers 15-days of standby if the smartphone is doing nothing or 7 hours of voice calls or Internet browsing or 8 hours of watching 720p video. The design is capable of 1080p, 30fps video encoding and 1080p, 60fps video playback and supports a 1024 x 768 internal display and a 1920 x 1080 external display.
Medfield is not expected to last too long in the market as Intel has plans to introduce an SoCs based on a CPU called Silvermont in 22-nm CMOS in 2013 and to replace that with an SoC based on a CPU called Airmont in 14-nm CMOS in 2014.
Intel executives declined to say whether there were plans to introduce a dual-core of the Medfield platform in 32-nm. "Our single-core chip is competitive with dual-core products from our rivals," said Bell.
Intel's executives declined to talk about the price of the chip in volume except to say that it would be "competitive." Analysts from Nomura Equity Research predicted that Medfield would be introduced at a price of $17 or $18.
Related links and articles:
Intel's Medfield benchmarks leaked
Why Intel is not inside TVs, smartphones
Intel, Microsoft Navigate Parallel Paths to Tablets
Intel: Android on x86 phones to come in 2012
Intel SoCs aided by interconnect, IP library
However, the Medfield platform is not a single chip. It requires a separate power management IC that not only performs power management control but has audio functionality and USB controller on one chip, according to Bell. It is possible that another company may provide this chip.
The wireless modem is also a separate IC; originally the IFX6260 HSPA+ modem IC, from Infineon Technologies AG. That IC became an Intel part when the company acquired the wireless business unit of Infineon at the beginning of 2011 and has been relabeled by Intel variously the IMC6260 or the XMM 6260.
A third-chip within the Medfield platform is a combination connectivity chip from Texas Instruments that provides Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio and it appears that GPS support comes from CSR plc.
Intel has produced a reference design of smartphone to show off its Medfield platform, which looks a bit like an iPhone. The unit has been flashed around before by various Intel executives when keynoting.
Intel smartphone reference design based on 32-nm Medfield platform
Intel said the design offers 15-days of standby if the smartphone is doing nothing or 7 hours of voice calls or Internet browsing or 8 hours of watching 720p video. The design is capable of 1080p, 30fps video encoding and 1080p, 60fps video playback and supports a 1024 x 768 internal display and a 1920 x 1080 external display.
Medfield is not expected to last too long in the market as Intel has plans to introduce an SoCs based on a CPU called Silvermont in 22-nm CMOS in 2013 and to replace that with an SoC based on a CPU called Airmont in 14-nm CMOS in 2014.
Intel executives declined to say whether there were plans to introduce a dual-core of the Medfield platform in 32-nm. "Our single-core chip is competitive with dual-core products from our rivals," said Bell.
Intel's executives declined to talk about the price of the chip in volume except to say that it would be "competitive." Analysts from Nomura Equity Research predicted that Medfield would be introduced at a price of $17 or $18.
Related links and articles:
Intel's Medfield benchmarks leaked
Why Intel is not inside TVs, smartphones
Intel, Microsoft Navigate Parallel Paths to Tablets
Intel: Android on x86 phones to come in 2012
Intel SoCs aided by interconnect, IP library
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rick.merritt
1/10/2012 8:16 PM EST
800 milliW peak at 1.6 GHz ain't bad.
I'm guessing Moto would be more likely to experiment with an Atom tablet than smartphone, but we'll see. They are a good reference account to get.
One would think with all its long term Taiwan connections, HTC would be a shoe in. But then again I am not sure it strays far from Qualcomm in the apps processor.
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Happy Heyoka
1/11/2012 1:20 AM EST
Nice typos in the platform overview ('cryto' instead of 'crypto' and a dollar sign for cache - obviously an artist that mistook 'cash' for 'cache')
Given that there's already a x86 build of Android, it shouldn't be too hard to put a phone together, although it looks like a nice device for all sorts of embedded stuff...
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peter.clarke
1/11/2012 6:30 AM EST
Cryto clearly is a typographic error. But I think use of the dollar sign is now a "standard" way of indicating cache memory.
I have seen I$ and D$ used for instruction cache and data cache on many diagrams over many years.
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Happy Heyoka
1/11/2012 10:47 PM EST
If you'll excuse me for being pedantic, repeating the same error over and over doesn't make it right :-)
Even if 'cash' and 'cache' are homophones where you come from, their etymology is completely different.
Some engineer in the past took the trouble to pick _exactly_ the right word for the job. That engineer may even have worked at Intel...
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peter.clarke
1/12/2012 4:37 AM EST
Not an error surely, just being humerous. And because it was humorous use of $, the usage stuck.
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rick.merritt
1/11/2012 1:28 AM EST
BTW, Intel had a tablet reference design for Medfield before it had the smartphone one.
It is hungry for designs in both categories.
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peter.clarke
1/11/2012 7:41 AM EST
Oops must have missed that reference design.
Nonetheless the emphasis of my 20 minute chat with Intel executives was all about smartphones.
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goafrit
1/11/2012 2:35 PM EST
Any implication for Qualcomm Snapdragon and the stock?
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peter.clarke
1/11/2012 4:36 PM EST
Well to have an idea how well Medfield would do in the market there needs to be some meaningful benchmarking.
According to reports, a tablet based on Medfield should do well at something called CaffeineMark, and outperform Tegra 2, Snapdragon MSM8260 and Samsung Exynos.
When it comes to stock values, the objective truth does not matter while perception is everything. So what is your perception of whether Intel's CES showing will hurt Qualcomm and others?
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tangey
1/11/2012 6:38 AM EST
Motorola has already confirmed that medfield smartphone will be qualified in the summer and released sometime after that.
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goafrit
1/11/2012 2:34 PM EST
Any link? What does this mean for Qualcomm stocks?
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green_ee
1/11/2012 4:21 PM EST
Note that Medfield is 32nm (a process that has been in production at Intel for years) and the next generations at 22nm and 14nm are in the pipeline which should be even more power-efficient.
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Lee Harrison
1/11/2012 6:30 PM EST
I've no opinion or expertise on the technologies here, but doesn't anyone else think it is a very strange day when Motorola in an Intel client for a phone chipset?
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donw_s11
1/11/2012 6:36 PM EST
You can thank Hector Ruiz for that. At one time Moto was quite competitive in small microprocessors.
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chipmonk
1/12/2012 12:19 PM EST
Hector the Sector Wrector was not happy with just bringing down SPS, he went on to wreck AMD too !
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Code Monkey
1/11/2012 8:06 PM EST
I love the name. Hopefully Disney won't give them any grief about using the name Medfield.
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