Intel Starts Production of Next-Generation Haswell Microprocessors

From X-bit Labs: Intel Corp. on Thursday said it began production of its future-generation code-named Haswell microprocessors in the fourth quarter of 2012, as planned. The new chips that are made using 22nm process technology promise to revolutionize notebooks and ultrabooks as besides of increased performance they will feature lower power consumption.

“We started production of our next-generation micro-architecture product code-named Haswell, which we expect to qualify for sale this quarter. This production prior to qualification for sale resulted in an increase in [older-generation] inventory write-offs,” said Stacy Smith, chief financial officer of Intel, during quarterly conference call with financial analysts.

The fourth-generation Intel Core i “Haswell” processor family will enable true all-day battery life, representing the most significant battery life capability improvement in Intel history, the company revealed earlier this month. Intel executives disclosed that new systems are expected to deliver up to 9 hours of continuous battery life. Thanks to higher performance and lower power consumption compared to predecessors, Intel Core i “Haswell” will be able to power new breed of laptops that will, among other advantages, feature touch-screens, voice recognition and gesture controls. Intel itself believes that ultrabooks powered by Haswell will revolutionize the market of mobile PCs in a similar way Centrino did a decade ago.

“In the first half of this year, we will launch Haswell, enabling one of the most significant changes to the PC since Centrino in 2003. Haswell was designed from the ground up to enable breakthrough innovation in form factor, battery life and usability. It will deliver the single largest generation-to-generation battery life improvement in Intel's history and it is inspiring a new wave of ultra-sleek, convertible, touch-based designs across our customer base,” said Paul Otellini, chief executive officer of Intel.

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