Intel's new Atoms target small business storage
Intel has launched two new Atom processors tailored to storage appliances for homes and small businesses, offering higher clock speeds and supporting newer memory technology than their predecessors.
The single-core D425 and dual-core D525 will offer faster storage processing than the D410 and D510 that launched in the first quarter of this year in network-attached storage (NAS) devices, the chipmaker said on Monday.
"The versatile Atom processor, which is at the heart of a growing variety of small, innovative, internet-connected devices, makes it possible for storage vendors to develop low-power appliances that can innocuously sit on a desk or shelf while keeping digital content safe and available anytime, anywhere," Dinesh Rao, Intel Storage Group product line manager, said in a statement.
The D425 and D525, which are shipping to storage manufacturers, are both clocked at 1.8GHz, whereas the D410 and D510 only offered 1.66GHz. The new Atoms also support DDR3 SO-DIMM memory, whereas their predecessors supported only DDR2 memory.
As with the earlier generation, the new Atoms — also code-named Pineview — broadly target the entry-level PC market. However, paired with Intel's 82801IR I/O controller, they become suitable for storage appliances. The same I/O controller was used alongside the D410 and D510 in NAS devices from Acer, Cisco, LaCie, LG, Netgear, Qnap0, Super Micro, Synology and Thecus.
Also on Monday, Intel said it had acquired Texas Instruments' (TI) cable modem business. TI's technology, combined with Intel's Atom-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) experience, will result in new set-top boxes, residential gateways and modems the company said.
TI has a line of Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (Docsis) modem products called Puma, which currently runs on Intel rival ARM's architecture. In the UK, Docsis 3.0 is used by Virgin Media to deliver its high-speed cable broadband services.
"Adding the talents of the Texas Instruments' cable team to Intel's efforts to bring its advanced technology to consumer electronics makes for a compelling combination," Bob Ferreira, cable chief at Intel's Digital Home Group, said in a statement. "Intel is focused on delivering SoCs that provide the foundation for consumer electronics devices such as set top boxes, digital TVs, Blu-ray disc players, companion boxes and related devices."
TI's cable modem team members, largely based in Israel, have received offers to join Intel at sites in their home countries, Intel said. The takeover is expected to close in the fourth quarter of the year, and the terms of the deal have not been disclosed.