VR-Zone

Intel's aging Atom CPUs will be upgraded in 2011 with the Cedarview platform with a 32nm shrink and DDR3. However, the architecture will be largely the same as current Atoms and will only bring modest performance improvements. Intel's next major Atom architecture upgrade only comes in 2013, according to Fudzilla, at 22nm.

However, considering the buzz generated by AMD's Ontario and the preponement of 22nm Ivy Bridge to 2011, the 2013 Atom can be pushed forward to 2012, or a new intermediate generation can be added to the roadmap. Certainly, Ontario and Zacate promise to provide vastly superior CPU performance and GPU performance many eons more advanced for similar sized dies, similar TDPs and possibly similar prices, and there will be little reason to choose Atom over Ontario for netbook platforms. The 32nm Cedartrail CPUs will certainly not make up for the in-order architecture, though it will close in the gap to Ontario. Intel is expected to come under pressure, assuming no discrimination by OEMs, and will most certainly be pushed to follow up with a major upgrade to Atom as soon as possible.

Netbooks have often been dismissed as having cripplingly weak performance, and it has taken AMD a long time to respond. Whilst Ontario promises to bring functionality netbooks never had before, let's hope Intel can release their real response sooner than 2013.

Reference: Fudzilla