Intel India may start work on special product for tablets, smartphones

Intel India may start work on creating products based on the 14-nanometre (nm) process some time later this year or next year.

These products, which will also involve the Tri-Gate 3D transistor that Intel announced in May, will help the company take on competition head-on in the tablet and smartphone market.

“We are looking at products that leverage the 14-nanometre process technology. This is likely next year or late this year,” Dr Praveen Vishakantaiah, President — Intel India, told Business Line .

According to a presentation made by Mr Mark Bohr, Intel Senior Fellow, and Mr Kaizad Mistry, 22-nm Program Manager in May, the first production for Intel's 14-nm chips will happen in 2013 and the 10-nm chips will be produced in 2015.

The presentation said 22-nm Tri-Gate transistors perform well at lower voltage, reducing active power by over 50 per cent. This could give the company a boost in the tablet and smartphone business, where chips that consume less power and increase the life of the battery are in high demand.

When asked about challenging ARM, Dr Vishakantaiah said, “We are getting on the front foot in the phone space. We are pushing into new areas.” He said Intel had achieved several design wins recently in the tablet business, too. The company wants to compete aggressively with ARM, which is making forays into Intel's traditional stronghold of PC chips — a study by IDC in May 2011 said by 2015, over 13 per cent of PC processors will be based on ARM products.

Intel is betting big on its 14-nm technology and in February this year announced plans to invest more than $5 billion to build a new chip-manufacturing facility in Chandler, Arizona, which is expected to be completed in 2013. This facility will work on the 14-nm process.

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