Intel to Unveil Changes in Processor Technology

Intel Corp. is preparing to unveil a significant change in the underlying technology of its computer chips, one that emphasizes power efficiency and multi-tasking as much as raw speed.

The change, which Intel has billed as its “next-generation architecture,” involves alterations to the circuit design of its microprocessors, the central chips in personal computers, which it sells under the Pentium brand name.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said it would provide details of the shift at a gathering of technology developers in San Francisco later this month.

In materials released ahead of the gathering, the company said the new technology would allow for energy-efficient chips that can be used in sleeker boxes than today’s often clunky desktop machines.

Although the new chips will be structurally different, PC users would continue to be able to run similar software packages, including Microsoft Windows.

Already, analysts are predicting Intel will borrow heavily from its notebook computer chip line, known as Pentium M, in its designs for next-generation personal computer products.

Pentium M, released in 2003, is best known as the microprocessor component of Intel’s Centrino brand of notebook computer chips.

The Pentium M processor has won plaudits from technology reviewers for its efficiency, and analysts have long predicted that it would become the successor to the current line of Pentium 4 desktop chips, which some PC makers have criticized as power hogs.

At the show, the Intel Developer Forum, much of the discussion will focus on multi-core chips, which contain two or more processing cores in a single silicon chip. Multi-core, which allows for more efficient multi-tasking, is a feature that Chief Executive Paul Otellini has called one of the keys to the company’s future.