Intel is on a mission to change the face of the IT industry, says CTO Justin Rattner. He aims to achieve this by maintaining Intel's routine of improving products on an annual basis and making a generational leap every two years.
In even years, Rattner says, Intel brings out new core architecture and in odd years it improves processing speed. "You may have noticed Intel has developed a cadence, a rhythm of rolling out products, almost like a heartbeat," he says.
The computer has given great power to the individual, Rattner told his audience on the second day of the Intel Developers Forum, in Beijing, China. He expects the consumer to gain even more as they increasingly become the driving force behind IT.
Intel introduced processors based on 65nm technology in 2005 and has now sold 112 million of these CPUs. Rattner says 94% of all computers built this year will be based on 65nm technology.
The company's 45nm Penryn chip will become available later this year and Rattner expects a revolution. Intel claims Penryn offers a 20% increase in performance, reduces power leakage by a factor of 10 and doubles transistor density.
"It offers more performance for less," says Rattner. This includes a 40% cut in power usage. "This is not some future thing; [Penryn] will be in production later this year."
Expanding on the future, Rattner says the company will scale to 32nm production in 2009. "We are pushing along Moore's Law," Rattner says, referring to the Intel co-founder who, in the late 1960s, predicted a generational leap in computing power every two years.
In the meantime, Penryn is being rolled out across the whole Intel product range, stretching from servers to handheld devices. Roll-out should be complete by next year.
Rattner also spoke about the increase in research conducted in China, as well as the company's new 65nm plant at Dalian, north-east of Beijing.
The $1.5 billion plant employs 1 500 people and covers 1.7 million square feet. Intel also runs a number of research facilities in the country and actively collaborates with a range of universities.
"China is no stranger to innovation," says Rattner, referring to its invention of gunpowder, the magnetic compass and porcelain. "The research we will do here will literally change the world."
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