Intel's next generation Atom-based SoC is on the way and Xbit Labs provides some of the details. Dubbed Avoton, Intel's upcoming system-on-a-chip will be based on 22nm Silvermont architecture and feature eight cores sharing 4MB of L2 cache (1MB per core pair). By the way, the bulk of this information seems to originate from this Chinese website.
Ideal for low-power "micro servers" – and key to Intel's Edisonville platform – Avoton's eight-core processors will feature frequencies of 1.6GHz to 2.4GHz. The Silvermont-based cores will provide OOE (out-of-order execution) and Turbo Boost (or possibly a similar technology by a different name), making for some potentially significant improvements in performance over current generation Centerton products. The Tubo Boost-like feature will allow clock speeds of up to 2.7GHz which is impressive since the CPUs will have a thermal design power of merely 6 to 8.5 watts, according to CPU-World. In its entirety, the Avoton SoC will run a TDP somewhere between 6 to 20 watts.
Additionally, Avoton aims to improve on Centerton's formula by integrating more features on-die, including gigabit ethernet, USB 2.0 and SATA 3 – items currently missing from the platform.
With AMD's recent rumors of impending mass layoffs, Intel seems to be faring better than its smaller competitor these days. AMD's diversity is likely to be a key reason it stays afloat though, with popular Radeon GPUs and solid budget CPU / APU offerings.
The Avoton SoC is expected to arrive alongside Edisonville during the second-half of 2013.