George Town, Penang, June 20, 2013 – Intel officially launched the latest 4th generation Intel Core processor family codenamed “Haswell“ in Malaysia, and will be the key driver in the growth of 2-in-1 devices. Designed from ground up for low power and performance, the new platform enables over 50% improvement in battery life, delivering double the graphics performance over the previous generation processors.
The Year of the 2-in-1
The new platform is expected to spur the growth of innovative form factors like 2-in-1s, portable all-in-one systems and next generation tablets; much like how previous generation Intel Core processors – Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge kickstarted the Ultrabook segment.
Low power, high performance
The new processor family is the first chip ever built from ground up specifically for the Ultrabook, and is the most significant roadmap change since Intel Centrino. Spanning power levels as low as 6W (in scenario design power – SDP), all the way to 95W, the new family spans the biggest dynamic range in the company’s history.
The 4th gen Core processor utilises cutting-edge 22nm process with Intel’s new 3-D Tri-Gate Transistor technology that packs an incredible 1.4 billion transistors onto a single 4th generation processor.
The low power levels enables even thinner, lighter, cooler, quieter and fanless designs. Moving up the range, the highest performing processors in the family are capable of 15% better performance than previous generation.
Prakash Mallya, Country Manager of Intel Malaysia and Singapore said during the launch, “4th gen Intel Core processors offer the most significant gain in battery life enabling ever achieved by Intel, up to double the graphics and significant CPU performance improvements that are delivering exciting new consumer experiences.”
Image credit: Intel
“Today’s announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new form factors. This year is the perfect time for consumers to refresh their old tablet or PC with these new 2-in-1 devices,” added Leighton Philips, Director of Product Marketing and Pricing, Intel Asia-Pacific, during his launch keynote.
The Intel Penang team together with Christopher Kelly, General Manager of Intel Architecture Group, Intel Malaysia; Leighton Philips, Director of Product Marketing and Pricing, Intel Asia-Pacific and Prakash Mallya, Country Manager of Intel Malaysia and Singapore.
Kudos, Penang
Intel Malaysia was extensively involved in the creation of the latest Intel Core processor. The engineers in Penang were a key part of the global team that design and developed the processor. Intel Malaysia celebrated its 40-year anniversary in Malaysia last year.
Christopher Kelly, General Manager of Intel Architecture Group, Intel Malaysia said, “Intel Malaysia has a team of talented engineers instrumental in the evolution of Intel microprocessors. We are proud to have played a significant role in the design, development and high-volume manufacturing of the the 4th gen Core processors.”
We had the opportunity to meet the brains behind Haswell the following day. More to come on this.
Say hello to massive battery life
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the crop of 4th Gen Intel Core processors is the massive gain in battery life. This generation, in fact, is the largest generation-over-generation gain in battery life in the company history – a massive 50% improvement. For some systems coming to market this year, over 9 hours of active use battery life or up to 10 to 13 days of standby can be expected. A good example would be Apple’s new line of MacBook Air ultraportables, that also run the latest Haswell chips, boasting up to 12 hours of battery life, almost twice the longevity of the previous generation MacBook Air.
Powering up from shutdown state only take three seconds, a remarkable improvement over previous generation.
Image credit: Intel
Simply faster
Intel is also taking the opportunity with the Haswell platform to encourage consumers to upgrade their 3-4 year old systems. The 4th generation Intel Core processors offer 2-3 times faster performance in everyday computing, and high intensity tasks like editing video will be 20 times faster.
Thanks to the highly advanced 22nm process, Intel is also able to improve integrated graphics on selected SKUs of the new processor family, especially in System-on-a-Chip (SoC) applications. The result – better graphics, more stunning visuals in thinner and lighter devices. Intel Iris, the platform’s integrated graphics technology, delivers up to double the 3D performance over today’s current corp of Intel HD Graphics solutions. As demonstrated on stage during the launch, new Haswell chips with Intel Iris even beat previous generation chips running with discreet graphics on gaming performance.
Safe and secure
Haswell also comes equipped with built-in security capabilities including Intel Identity Protection Technology (Intel IPT) and Intel Anti-Theft Technology (Intel AT). With the recently introduced McAfee LiveSafe service complementing Intel IPT and AT, security is much enhanced.
For the enterprise, embedded features in Intel Core vPro processors further strengthen security and increase business productivity. Intel Core vPro offers superior performance for secure, productive and collaborative experiences, meeting demands of end users and giving peace of mind to IT system administrators.
All’s well with Haswell
The 4th generation Intel Core processor is faster, draws less power, offers remarkable battery life, is more secure and smaller. Key improvements and enhancements that will power the next generation of devices. A platform that is built from ground up for the mobile lifestyle; and will inevitable open up exciting new possibilities in hardware form factors and applications in the coming months and years.
Vernon is the founder and chief editor of Vernonchan.com. A graphic designer by profession, he has a deep love for technology, cars, gadgets, food, and travel. He tweets too much and is also known as a caffeine bacterium ("life's too short for bad coffee"). Bleeds Blue (go Chelsea FC!) and considers BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo cars to have in the garage--hallmarks of a true petrolhead.
