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Intel® Atom™ Processor Microarchitecture

Intel® Atom™ processor die

Newly designed from the ground up, the Intel® Atom™ processor is based on entirely new hafnium-based 45nm microarchitecture. Representing Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet¹, the Intel® Atom™ processor enables a new generation of powerful and energy-efficient Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and a new category of simple devices for the internet called netbooks and nettops that will be available at affordable prices.

Delivering new design possibilities due to its remarkably small size and performance-per-watt advantages, the Intel Atom processor provides:

  • Performance for a great internet experience in a range of sub 1 watt to 4 watt thermal power envelope based on industry leading benchmarks (EEMBC) and web page rendering performance
  • Greater energy efficiency for mobile devices enabled by incredibly low average power and idle power, scaling performance from 800MHz to 1.86GHz
  • Power-optimized front side bus of up to 533MHz for faster data transfer on demanding mobile applicationsΔ
  • Scalable performance and increased power efficiency with multi-threading support²
  • Improved performance on multimedia and gaming applications with support for Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (SSE3)
  • Improved power management with new Deep Power Down (C6) enabled on the Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx series for MIDs, and extended C4 states enabled on Intel® Atom™ processor N270 for netbooks, in addition to non-grid clock distribution, clock gating, CMOS bus mode, and other power saving architectural features
  • Low TDP enabled by improved power management technologies delivering high performance to run the real Internet and a broad range of software applications³

ISSCC Disclosures

Read Intel's Technical Disclosures from the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February 2008.

Must-haves now optimized for ultra-small

As energy-efficient performers, Intel Atom processors are built with powerful technologies made optimized for smaller form factor devices, including Hyper-Threading Technology² enabling two instruction threads to execute in parallel and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology, matching performance with application demands in order to save on battery life and increase performance—and so much more.

Revolutionary technology starts with a conscience

Using the world's smallest transistors‡, the Intel Atom processor takes the next big leap in ultra-small and powerful computing with performance optimized technologies that are also more environmentally responsible. Using lead-free± and halogen-free° manufacturing, the Intel Atom processor is the first in Intel's lineup to eliminate halogen and lead products altogether.

Product information

Find out more about Intel® Atom™ microarchitecture-based products.

¹ Actual processor size based on current Intel® architecture product offerings.

Δ Wireless connectivity and some features may require you to purchase additional software, services or external hardware. System performance, battery life, wireless performance and functionality will vary depending on your specific operating system, hardware and software configurations. See www.intel.com/products/centrino/ for more information.

² Hyper-Threading Technology (HT Technology) requires a computer system with an Intel® processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology and an HT Technology enabled chipset, BIOS and operating system. Hyper-Threading Technology is available on Intel® Atom™ processor Z520, Z530 and Z540 (Z520=1.33GHz, Z530=1.60Ghz and Z540=1.86GHz) and Intel® Atom™ processor N270 (1.60GHz) and 230 (1.60GHz).

³ When compared to the Ultra Low Voltage single-core Intel® processors in 2006.

‡ Processor comparison based on current Intel® architecture products. Transistor comparison based on 45nm processors in production.

± Intel® 45nm products are manufactured on a lead-free process. Leadfree per EU RoHS Directive (2002/95/EC, Annex A). Some RoHS exemptions may apply to other components used in the product package.

° Applies to components containing flame retardants and PVC only. Halogens are below 900 PPM bromine, 900 PPM chlorine, and 1500 PPM combined bromine and chlorine.