Intel Press Release

Point-of-Sale, Industrial Automation and Communications Devices Get Low-Power Embedded Intel® Pentium® Processor

Processor's New Package Designed for Embedded Requirements

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 13, 1998 -- Responding to an increasing need for higher performance, lower power processors in embedded applications, Intel Corporation today announced the addition of the 166- and 266-MHz low-power Intel® Pentium® processors with MMX™ technology to the embedded product line.

The processors will be available in a new surface-mount, high-thermal, low-profile plastic ball grid array (HL-PBGA) package, measuring 1.45 millimeters thick and 35 by 35 millimeters square. The new package has been developed by Intel specifically for space-constrained applications that require lower power consumption than previous generations of embedded Pentium processors. In addition, the new package increases the temperature range at which the processor can operate to withstand the harsh environments of some embedded applications.

"Customer feedback on performance and power requirements led us to create an entirely new package for the embedded low-power Pentium processor with MMX technology," said Tom Franz, Intel vice president and general manager of the Intel Embedded Microcomputer Division. "Our embedded customers can take full advantage of the large base of tools, programming expertise and code compatibility offered by the Intel Architecture, as well as Intel's numerous other embedded computing building blocks such as Flash memory, chipsets, graphic controllers and networking components."

Applications anticipated to benefit from the processors' combination of performance, low power and low-profile packaging include:

  • Point-of-sale systems, including terminals used in retail environments and automated teller machines;
  • Industrial automation devices, including test and measurement equipment, manufacturing and factory automation systems, and ruggedized PCs and workstations used in the field;
  • Communications equipment, such as telecommunications switches, data switches, access concentrators and routers, which will incorporate new kinds of services such as policy control, billing features and management capabilities.

Processor Offers Lowest Power Consumption in Pentium Processor Family
The first embedded Pentium processors built on Intel's .25 micron process technology, the low-power Pentium processors with MMX technology are specified to operate with lower power consumption than any other Pentium processors. Many embedded designs based on the 166-MHz processor may be able to eliminate heatsinks, simplifying design and lowering costs.

Processor Features
Originally developed for mobile systems, the processor offers 16-KB data and code caches, high-performance floating point unit, enhanced 64-bit data bus, data integrity features, branch prediction, and 4-MB memory page size. The low-power Pentium processor is code-compatible with previous versions of the Pentium processor, allowing embedded designers to re-use code developed for previous designs. In addition to the new HL-PBGA package, the processor also is available in a Socket 7, 296-pin plastic grid array (PPGA) package.

The Embedded Microcomputer Division previously announced support for the Intel 430TX chipset, which supports this processor. To help embedded systems designers get their products developed more quickly, Intel will make available a reference platform incorporating the processor, I/O and memory subsystem and software. A development kit and design guide also will be available.

Availability and Pricing
The low-power embedded Pentium processor with MMX technology in the plastic PGA package will be available in production quantities in November 1998. The processor in the new HL-PBGA package will be available in production quantities in Q1 1999, with samples available November 1998. Pricing for the 166-MHz part in 1 thousand-unit quantities is $59 U.S. for the plastic PGA and $51 U.S. for the HL-PBGA. Pricing for the 266-MHz part is $104 U.S for both the plastic PGA and the HL-PBGA.

More information about the embedded Pentium processor family is available at developer.intel.com/design/intarch/lpentium.htm. Intel's Computing Enhancement Group develops and markets innovative silicon solutions used in computing devices, including Intel core logic chipsets, graphics controllers, embedded processors, Flash memory, and intelligent I/O processors and controllers.

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