Tablets based on Intel’s next generation Atom system-on-chips based on the Silvermont microarchitecture have already been slated for release late this year.
But it appears that the devices may appear earlier than expected.
A new document from Intel details that the new Atom Z-series chips (Bay Trail-T platform) could be formally introduced as early as late August or early September — probably to streamline the supply issues before the all-important holiday shopping season.
An excerpt published by the Chinese version of VR-Zone website shows that Intel is gearing up to launch the Atom processor Z-series for Bay Trial-T platforms (that is designed for tablets) between August 28, 2013 and September 13, 2013.
The chip giant may also introduce other members of the Bay Trail family, including solutions for notebooks, desktop and even industrial applications, but this remains unclear for now.
Silvermont has been designed to serve as the foundation for a wide range of 22nm products that are expected to hit the market later this year. The new microarchitecture is set to deliver a significant difference in performance and responsiveness, while notably improving energy efficiency.
Hardware vendors have, in recent months, taken to Intel’s Atom platform as far as Windows powered tablets are concerned. Acer, Lenovo, Samsung and more are rumored to be developing new devices based on the Atom platform that allows full x86 compatibility with Windows 8 Pro.
And with vendors like NVIDIA and Qualcomm also refining their ARM based solutions for Windows RT, Microsoft could be in for some rather interesting times later this year.
