Intel's Mobile Market

Mobile CPU Forecast Chart

Please click on the link above to expose the chart.

Mobile Market?

The first thing you'll probably notice from this chart is the imensity of Intel's mobile processor campaign. It's been both stressed many times over that Intel is taking the mobile market very seriously. We've even heard rumors that Intel plans to scale back their desktop market in order to focus heavily in the portable sector. While FiringSquad isn't going to comment on such claims, it's taken for granted that Intel has no competition in the portable x86 market, and they're going to want to keep it that way.

Formats and packages you won't care about

If you take a close look, you'll see that Intel has several different variations of the same processor, starting from the Celeron 366 all the way to the eventual mobile Pentium III. All of these processors will run the gamut of Mini Cartridges, naked Ball Grid Array (BGA), Pin Grid Array (PGA), Tape Carrier Packaging (TCP), or Mobile Module Connector (MMC).

Intel's website describes the current MMC-2 interface:

The Intel® Pentium® II Processor Mobile Module (400-pin MMC-2) is a small, highly integrated assembly containing an Intel Pentium II Mobile processor and its immediate system-level support. Specifically, the processor module contains a power supply for the processor’s unique voltage requirements, a system Level 2 cache memory and the core logic required to bridge the processor to the standard system buses. The module interfaces electrically to its host system via a 3.3-volt PCI bus, a 3.3-volt memory bus and some Intel® 443BX Host Bridge control signals.

Pretty dry stuff. What's notable of course, is the eventual move of all of Intel's consumer-based microprocessors away from the "slot" SECC and SEPP interface, which add unnecessarily to the cost of the system, and are physically impractical for mobile solutions.