Intel Core M Processor codenamed Broadwell – How Fanless, Smaller and Thinner proves that If Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade

“When you have a leadership technology, it's never easy, at least at first. We're in a very healthy range right now and continue to improve”

Senior Fellow in Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group, Mark Bohr, commenting on the Core M 14nm Processors codenamed Broadwell

Intel definitely isn’t going out without a fight!

They’ve now put on their Thinking Caps…or Cores for that matter and have stepped up to the plate with their new Core M 14nm Processors codenamed Broadwell that promises Thinner Processors as stated in the article “Intel unwrap Core M chip that lets PCs run sans Fans”, published August 11, 2014 9:45 AM PDT by Shara Tibken, CNET News and “Intel, Moore's Law Still Ticking With 14nm Broadwell Chips”, published AUGUST 11, 2014 02:45PM EST BY DAMON POETER, PCMag.

Intel’s finally gotten past their “defect density issue” that had delayed their launch of the Haswell Chips in the Fourth Quarter of 2013 as noted “Intel delays Broadwell PC chip production to early next year”, published October 15, 2013 2:22 PM PDT by Shara Tibken, CNET News. With that problem behind them, they're cranking out Processor by the Truckload, with the first set of devices set to hit the shelf by the Fourth Quarter of 2014, just in time for Christmas 2014.

It was a move that was long overdue since 2010, when Tablets just came out. Traditionally used to making Processors for Desktop, Laptop and Server Applications, they were beaten out from early by ARM-based chips from Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung that stole many of their potential customers in the Mobile Computing World.

Thus, for Intel, it has been a Bitter season of Lemons as the consumer PC Market shrank and began to be replaced by Tablets, which interestingly is slowly ceding power to from the Apple iPad to Chinese and East Asian Tablet makers as noted in my blog article entitled “IDC and NPD Group record Tablet Decline and Phablet Rise - “White Box” Chinese Tablets and Wearable Computing in First Quarter of 2014 making Tablets obsolete in the Year of the Sheep”.

The Core M is their finally push for this market with a slimmer, smaller and more power efficient Processor that can work in everything from Laptops to Tablets, making them smaller while delivering super quiet performance. Truly in the case of Intel, if(lifeGivesYou() == 'Lemons') makeLemonade();

Interestingly too, they’re already looking towards 10nm and down to even 5nm Processors in the future to Principal Analyst for Creative Strategies, Tim Bajarin: “Moore's law is alive and well and could be extended at least another decade. I talked to Intel Chairman Andy Bryant and he says that they are already working on 10nm and could extend this [FinFET technology] to 7nm and 5nm in the future.”

Intels Core M Processors – 2015 will see the Tale of the Tape for Broadwell Adoption

The Real demand for their Core M Processors will be in the First Quarter of 2015, however, as by then we'll be able to assess whether or not the Tablet or PC World has warmed up to this 14nm Processor.

This as at 14nm, the Processor is physically thinner as well as smaller, with the Tri-Gate (FinFET) Transistors having an optimum packing density by being etched with trace distance no more than 14nm. In essence they’re an improvement on the Ivy Bridge Processors as described in my blog article entitled “Intel & Poison Ivy Bridge Processors - 22nm in an Iso-Linear of Their Own”.

How’s that a big deal?

Well, it’s not faster than the previous Haswell Processors, which ended up being use in Apple MacBook Pro's as a replacement for the Sandy Bridge Processors that debuted back in 2010 as I'd pointed out in my blog article entitled “Intel & Poison Ivy Bridge Processors - 22nm in an Iso-Linear of Their Own”.

But they do have one major new advantage; they're 50% smaller and 30% thinner than the previous Haswell or Ivy Bridge Processors, making them more Tablet friendly. When not in use, the Processor sips a mere 60% of the total available power, making them very Power Efficient for Tablet and Laptop use as well.

But what's got even me amazed is that they're designed to use a lot less power than the Haswell Processors of old, most likely to compensate for the high packing density. This results in a lower Core operating temperature that manages to deliver the same level of performance due the shorter distance between the transistors which would also have faster switching times, resulting in a cooler operation. So cool in fact, that the Come M Processors can operate without a Fan.

This is a VERY big deal.

Due to their low Power usage, the Core M Processors may not pack the power of, say the AMD’s (Advanced Micro Devices) 5Ghz 8-Core Processor FX-9590 or the 4.7Ghz 8-Core Processor FX-9370 that came out on Wednesday June 12^th 2013 at E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) 2013 as I'd reported in my Geezam blog article entitled “AMD unveils 5GHz and 4.7Ghz 8-Core Processor at E3 2013 in Apple’s Mac Pro Dogfight for Top Gun in High End Multi-Core PC Gaming”.

However, they'll be thin enough to fit into Tablets, Hybrid Tablet/Laptop (the replacement for Ultrabooks), Chromebooks and even smartphones and still deliver the level or performance of the previous Ivy Bridge Processors thanks to the missing Fan.

Power saving and Laptops as thin as the Apple iPad Air at 7.2mm, a serious slimming down from the 26mm possible with Ivy Bridge Processors are technically possible, according to Vice President in Intel's Platform engineering group, Rani Borkar. To put that in perspective, that’s also thinner than the Apple Macbook Air at its bulging ends!

Despite all this, the sale of Devices in Christmas 2014 and then in the First Quarter of 2015 will determine how well this Processor fares and is adopted by a world that’s still crazy about Mobile Computers!

Intels Core M codenamed Broadwell – If Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade

Will this be enough to get Intel back into the game as the Processor Champs in this “Post-PC” Era as I’d predicted in my Geezam blog article entitled “The Apple iPad Effect: Post PC Era Accelerant in Nine Moves”?

Based on my prediction in my blog article entitled “Intel showcases Dual-Core Z2760 Atom Processor, codenamed Clover Trail” for Win 8 – End of Watch for PC Makers who must get into the Tablet Game”, it will, as at 14nm, it's a much better alternative than trying to make a Dual-Core Atom Processor. I suspect that the Dual-Core Z2760, codenamed “Clover Trail” Processor was merely a desperate stab at the Tablet market by quickly drawing for a Processor that brought them success in the Netbook World.

By putting on their Technology Thinking Caps, Intel will now realize the truth, that being Innovation was always in their DNA and it just meant trying a little harder to achieve the desired result. Silicon will Live for a few more years as they'll eventually push towards 9nm Processors in the Future.

if(lifeGivesYou() == 'Lemons') makeLemonade();