Everyone knows that Intel is set to launch a new line of chips branded Merom, manufactured using a 65-nanometer technology process in 2006. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 
In a recent interview about Intel’s future technologies and products for 2006, the company’s CEO hinted that “we will continue to invest in the 65-nanometer chip line or smaller“. However, according to a recently leaked strategic report, this chip giant plans to introduce nearly… 20 completely new processors over the next two years.
All of these chips are aimed at a singular goal: to help Intel dominate the desktop, mobile, and enterprise computing markets. Among them, the most advanced chip will be produced using a 45-nanometer technology.
Last week, Intel held a series of presentations at the Ronler Acres facility in Oregon, which serves as the “backbone” of the product design and manufacturing process. The presentation included a brief tour of the Fab D1D plant, where the company’s current leading product, the 65-nanometer Merom chip, is manufactured. The purpose of this campaign was quite clear: to convince about 80 experts and journalists present of the strength and potential of the 65-nanometer technology. Intel will utilize this technology to mass-produce new high-end processors such as the Pentium 4 6×1, Pentium D 900, and Core.
While the speakers seemed overly positive and optimistic about the prospects of this technology, at least the journalists discovered an undeniable fact: Intel is indeed very serious about nanometer technology. The company’s substantial and aggressive investment in the 65-nanometer manufacturing process will lead to an unprecedented number of new chip brands in the next eight quarters.
If this is the case, the microprocessor market is sure to witness a seismic shift.
Thien Y
