Intel has officially announced two new Z-series Atom processors aimed at mobile internet devices and netbooks. As expected, the flagship Z550 part extends performance to 2GHz with Intel Hyper-Threading support, while the even more power efficient Z515 will be the first Intel chip to feature Burst Performance Technology, which lets the processor run at up to 1.2GHz when such performance is needed and slower when it isn't. Both of the new CPUs are built on the existing Silverthorne architecture and maintain a sub-3-watt TDP.


During its keynote at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, the company also offered a sneak peek at Intel's forthcoming "Moorestown" platform for mobile devices, showcasing a 10x idle-power reduction compared to current Atoms. The platform is due out in 2010 and consists of a system-on-chip codenamed "Lincroft" that integrates a 45nm Atom processor core, graphics, video and memory controller, and a companion I/O hub codenamed "Langwell."