Intel introducing 16 new processors all based on the chipmaker's 45 nanometer (nm) process technology. We've been hearing a lot about 45 nm lately and, admittedly, it's kind of hard to get excited about semiconductor fabrication -- especially when there's all manner of shiny new gizmos vying for your attention. First, it marks Intel's considerable lead over rival AMD. While AMD is expected to move the 45 nm sometime in the second half of 2008, Intel began mass-producing these chips in November 2007. In a general sense, 45 nm fans the flames of Moore's law, allowing Intel to double the number of transistors in the same silicon space. According to the chipmaker, it also allows the company squeeze more performance out of smaller transistors and increases the overall energy efficiency of a given processor. How small are we talking about? Well, there are 1 billion nanometers (nm) in one meter. And while the original Bell Labs transistor could be held in your hand, you can actually fit hundreds of 45nm transistors on the surface of a single red blood cell. So, yeah, small.One of the other noteworthy aspects about Monday's announcement is the fact that more than a quarter of these new processors are aimed at the mobile arena. Anyone who's been following Intel knows the company is keen on expanding more into this space, both with its continued WiMax push and in the form of its newfound love of the mobile internet device (MID). And with five new 45nm dual core mobile processors slated for release this month that are (in some cases) up to 25 percent smaller, you can not only expect new notebooks equipped with these processors, but also new form factors.In fact, Intel says it's also planning on using these new teeny tiny transistors and manufacturing advances to spur on this MID category of small form-factor, low-powered devices later in the year.
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