經(jīng)過多年的整軍經(jīng)武，英特爾公司(Intel)即將瞄準手機市場展開出擊。在未來幾個星期內(nèi)，第一批支持英特爾處理器的智能手機將會上市，準備好與采用ARM公司IP架構(gòu)的手機設(shè)備展開一場激烈的市占率爭奪戰(zhàn)。 英特爾為了這一刻的來臨已經(jīng)花了多年的時間準備了。組件采購業(yè)務(wù)相關(guān)領(lǐng)域?qū)⒆屑氀芯科溆诘诙镜呢攬蠼Y(jié)果，以確認產(chǎn)品的表現(xiàn)如何，以及該公司是否能夠打入這個炙手可熱但競爭激烈的領(lǐng)域。盡管采用ARM架構(gòu)的設(shè)備已在手機市場占有主導地位，但隨著PC發(fā)展達到高峰，帶動對于移動設(shè)備領(lǐng)域的市場需求攀升，也就不難理解為什英特爾會將未來的下注在這些產(chǎn)品的成功上市。 但可別急著為英特爾睹上你所有的退休金。至少有十年的時間了，該公司一直試著在通訊市場建立其立足點，但卻都沒法取得多大的成就。最近的幾次收購行動，包括從英飛凌科技(Infineon Technologies)取得的業(yè)務(wù)，都是為了能讓英特爾在打入這一市場時帶來更佳表現(xiàn)。然而，許多電子產(chǎn)業(yè)的廠商們?nèi)元q豫不決，遲疑著是否該擁抱英爾的架構(gòu)。因為他們可不想再給英特爾造就一個像在PC處理器領(lǐng)域獨大一樣的壟斷局面。 然而，這種顧慮并未考慮到現(xiàn)實的情況。事實上，ARM是不會輕易地被英特爾或任何其它競爭對手撼動的。太多的設(shè)備制造商已經(jīng)在市場上推出了好幾代基于ARM架構(gòu)的產(chǎn)品了，而且這個專注于采用 ARM IP的設(shè)計社群不但十分龐大且仍在持續(xù)擴展中。而英特爾公司提供的產(chǎn)品卻還未經(jīng)這一市場的驗證──這一事實，再加上業(yè)界謹慎避免形成另一種壟斷的戒心，ARM并不大可能被排除于這一市場之外。 而英特爾仍然是半導體市場中較強大且令人望而生畏的廠商之一。它不僅開發(fā)了行動處理器IP，同時也提供了硬件─這將為買家?guī)順O大的吸引力。潛在的客戶能夠放心地與單一供貨商協(xié)商供應(yīng)來源，而不必在一家供貨商購買IP后再與其它多家代工廠交涉生產(chǎn)事宜。 這只是使英特爾能在此市場成為有力廠商的部分原因。在英特爾日前的財報會議上，該公司總裁兼CEO Paul Otellini即形容該公司的制造實力以及在形成市場未來的能力之間存在重要關(guān)系。 我們致力于長期的研發(fā)正顯現(xiàn)成效。我們正展開一個重要產(chǎn)品與技術(shù)轉(zhuǎn)型的一年，它將對于我們的公司與產(chǎn)業(yè)帶來非常積極正面的影響。在此強調(diào)幾個重要的例子。例如，我們正加速導入22nm制程的量產(chǎn)。這項革命性技術(shù)采用我們第三代高k金屬閘以及業(yè)界首創(chuàng)的3D三閘晶體管。 在針對智能手機與 Ultrabook 等訴求低功耗的應(yīng)用時，采取三閘晶體管技術(shù)能使晶體管實現(xiàn)比采用傳統(tǒng)平面微縮技術(shù)更高兩倍的性能。結(jié)合了我們的制程技術(shù)、制造能力與設(shè)計，能夠產(chǎn)生一個具有高度影響力的營運模式──這在業(yè)界中已越來越少了。這一營運模式讓我們能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)一些別人做不到的事，例如在2014年以前，采用比摩爾定律更快兩倍的速度加速推動Atom開發(fā)藍圖。 就在整個業(yè)界努力地想用較舊世代的技術(shù)(32nm制程)進行量產(chǎn)之際，我們 進行了這項更先進的發(fā)展模式。我們從十年前就展開對于3D晶體管的研究，因而取得如今的進展并不容易。事實上，這些技術(shù)研發(fā)變得越來越難實現(xiàn)，但我們持續(xù)領(lǐng)先業(yè)界其它廠商，并為我們的產(chǎn)品帶來功耗、性能與成本方面的優(yōu)勢。 在半導體市場上很少有公司能提出這樣一種令人懾服的論述。我將在后續(xù)的文章中討論更多有關(guān)英特爾正為手機、PC與服務(wù)器OEM開發(fā)產(chǎn)品的相關(guān)報導。這將能有助于我們了解為什么這家公司能長久在半導體市場中穩(wěn)居龍頭地位，以及為什么ARM將在一段時間內(nèi)維持其于無線手機領(lǐng)域的主導地位，但最終也將失去一些市占率。 本文下一頁：英特爾智能手機　印度先上市

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 2011年基帶芯片市場排名，英特爾飛上枝頭
• 2011全球半導體營收排名，高通增長最強勁，Intel仍第一
• AMD請三思，MIPS真是你需要的嗎？kMvesmc

{pagination} 英特爾智能手機　印度先上市 內(nèi)含英特爾Atom處理器的第一部智能手機，稍早前已經(jīng)在印度上市。 這款型號XOLO X900的手機是由英特爾與印度手機公司 Lava International Ltd., 合作推出，4/23起上架銷售，零售價大約為22,000盧比(約445美元)。 今年二月，英特爾在巴塞羅那初發(fā)表這款手機時，曾說明該手機配備單核心1.6GHz Atom Z2460處理器，搭載4.03英吋顯示器、1GB RAM、帶閃光燈的8百萬畫素后置攝影鏡頭，以及16GB的內(nèi)部存儲器。 該手機采用 Android 2.3 操作系統(tǒng)(Gingerbread)，但顯然有計劃很快地透過空中接口經(jīng)由軟件升級到 Android 的 Ice Cream Sandwich 版本。

kMvesmc

英特爾聲稱，該手機采單電池供電，可連續(xù)五小時以3G聯(lián)機瀏覽網(wǎng)絡(luò)，音樂播放時間長達45小時，通話時間達8小時。 Lava指望Atom能讓他們在廣大的印度行動市場中展現(xiàn)更多差異化特質(zhì)，并計劃透過Croma在印度銷售。 編譯：Susan Hong 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文：Intel Set to Test ARM Resilience in Smartphones；Intel smartphone launched in India，by Bolaji Ojo / Sylvie Barak

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 2011年基帶芯片市場排名，英特爾飛上枝頭
• 2011全球半導體營收排名，高通增長最強勁，Intel仍第一
• AMD請三思，MIPS真是你需要的嗎？kMvesmc

{pagination} Intel Set to Test ARM Resilience in Smartphones Bolaji Ojo After years of getting its guns and ammunition together, Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) is about to start shooting in the mobile handset market. Within weeks, the first set of smartphones sporting Intel processors will roll out, setting the stage for an explosive tussle for marketshare with devices using IP from ARM Ltd. (Nasdaq: ARMHY; London: ARM). Intel has spent years preparing for this moment. Many in the component procurement business will be poring over its second-quarter results to see how well the products perform and whether the company can crack the hot but intensely competitive sector. ARM-licensed devices have dominated the segment, but with demand soaring in the mobile equipment space as the PC end is peaking, it is understandable why Intel is betting so much of its future on a successful debut. Don't bet your entire retirement fund on Intel yet. The company has been trying for at least a decade to establish a beachhead in the communications market without much success. Recent acquisitions, including a business bought from Infineon Technologies AG (NYSE/Frankfurt: IFX), have positioned Intel for better performance this time around. Nevertheless, many electronics companies are hesitant to embrace Intel. They don't want to give it a monopoly similar to the one it has in the PC microprocessor sector. However, this concern isn't grounded in reality. ARM isn't going to be dislodged easily (if at all) by Intel or any other competitor. Too many equipment makers have multiple generations of ARM-based products in the market already, and the design community focused on IP offered by the British company is huge and growing. Intel's offerings are untested in the sector. That fact, combined with industry wariness about fostering another monopoly, will make it unlikely for ARM to be edged out of the market. Yet Intel remains one of the more formidable and fearsome players in the semiconductor market. Not only has it developed the IP for mobile processors, but it also can supply the hardware -- a combination that will give it tremendous appeal with purchasers. Potential customers can be assured they can negotiate supply with a single provider, rather than shopping for the IP at one provider and then engaging with foundries for production. That's part of what makes Intel a forceful player in this market. During a conference call yesterday on the company's latest results, Paul Otellini, Intel's president and CEO, described the link between its manufacturing prowess and its ability to shape the market's future: Our commitment to long-term research and development is paying off. We are beginning a year of major product and technology transitions that will have a very positive impact on our company and the industry. I'd like to highlight a few examples. We are ramping our 22-nanometer manufacturing process into high volume. This revolutionary technology uses our third-generation, high-k metal gate and the industry's first 3D Tri-Gate Transistors. The move to Tri-Gate Transistors delivers roughly twice the improvement in transistor performance over conventional planar scaling when applied to low-power applications like smartphones and Ultrabooks. We combine our process technology, manufacturing and design to produce a highly leveraged business model that is becoming increasingly rare in our industry. That model allows us to do things others can't, like advancing our Atom roadmap at twice the rate of Moore's Law through 2014. We're doing this at a time when the rest of the industry is struggling to ramp older technologies that lag our prior-generation, 32-nanometer process. Our research on 3D transistors began over 10 years ago, and advancements like this don't come easily. In fact, they're getting harder and harder to achieve, and our lead over the rest of the industry continues to grow, giving us product advantages in power, performance and cost. Very few companies in the semiconductor market can offer such a compelling argument. In a separate blog, I will write more about the slate of products Intel is developing for handset, PC, and server OEMs. They can help us understand how this company has defended its position in the semiconductor market for so long and why ARM will eventually lose some of its marketshare in the wireless handset sector but will retain its leading position for a while. Intel smartphone launched in India Sylvie Barak SAN FRANCISCO--The first smartphone with Intel Corp.’s Atom inside has launched in India. The XOLO X900, born of a partnership between Intel and Indian mobile handset firm Lava International Ltd., will be on Indian shelves from April 23 for a street price of approximately INR 22000 ($445). The phone, announced in Barcelona back in February, sports a single core 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor along with a 4.03 inch display, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera with flash, 1.3 MP front camera and 16GB of internal memory. It runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but there are apparently plans for an over-the -air software upgrade to Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich “soon.” Intel claims the phone can get up to five hours of 3G browsing, 45 hours of audio and eight hours of talk time on a single battery charge, as well as take up to 10 pictures a second. Lava is counting on Atom to provide it with a differentiation factor in the large Indian mobile market, and plans to distribute the phone in partnership with Croma, an Indian chain of electronics mega stores.