Intel has launched the new Atom Z500 series processors and matching chipsets. The new Atom processors, which were originally codenamed Poulsbo use around 2W of power and are designed to work in enclosures without cooling fans at temperature up to 70C. As for the new chipset, it decreases the overall footprint of the system by integrating both graphics and input/output controller hub into a single chip.

The Atom Z500 series will include two 1.1GHz processors Z510 and Z510P, both the processors will have 400MHz system bus and 512KB of L2 cache, but the Z510 will use only 2W power and have smaller 13 x 14mm package, while the Z510P will have larger 22 x 22mm package and it will use 2.2W power. The rest of the processor will all use 2.2W power and have 533MHz bus. The Z520 will have 1.3GHz speed with smaller 13 x 14mm package. The last two processor Z530 and Z530P will have 1.6GHz clock speed and they will follow the Z510 processers in package sizes.

All the five processor are aimed at devices larger than regular smartphone but smaller than netbook. The devices based on Z500-series will have 5- to 8-inch touchscreen with 1GB RAM and about 8GB storage. As the processors require minimum 2W power it’s highly unlikely that we will see smartphones based on the Atom Z500 processors. Intel expects that devices based on Z500 series will start ship by late spring.