IDF: Intel unveils Nehalem processor plans

Intel has detailed a range of new and upcoming processors at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco..

First up is the announcement that Nehalem, the company's next-generation processor family, will include a new turbo mode, which is designed to shift the processor up a gear without incurring a heat penalty.

It does this by switching off unused cores in the processor and then boosting the speed of the cores in operation.

First to hit the shelves will be the new Core i7 CPUs for the desktop and the Nehalem-EPs for servers. Next year, Intel is expected to launch the Nehalem-EX for the expandable server market, as well as several new products for both the desktop and mobile arenas.

"Our engineers have put together an incredible processing family here that will include a tremendous amount of new processor features all centred on delivering faster computer performance and terrific energy efficiency," said Intel's Pat Gelsinger, speaking during one of IDF's keynote speeches.

The chip giant also revealed an expansion to its Xeon processor range with the upcoming X7460, boasting six cores and a 16MB L3 cache, which is due out next month.

During the keynote, Intel's executive vice president and general manager of the Mobility Group, Dadi Perlmutter, unveiled the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, a mobile-focused quad-core system which only draws 45W of power.

According to Perlmutter this "will redefine how we compute on-the-go by giving users a stunning new computing visual experience, better manageability and security, enhanced turbo mode features and evolutionary power management for notebooks".

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