Intel Swaps Celeron For Atom In NAS & Servers

Intel wants its uses to use Atom processors in network attached storage (NAS) and other low-power devices in a bid to dislodge Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) from one of its traditional segments.

LaCie, Qnap, Tandberg, Lanner and others have announced a number of products that combine Intel's "Pineview" dual core Atom D510 processor and the company's new 82801IR I/O Controller which brings a number of advanced features.

The I/O controller allows the chip to offer 12 USB ports, an integrated GbE port, eSATA ports, six PCI Express lanes and includes some nifty features like hot plug capabilities plus native support for Windows Home Server and Linux.

Intel's D410 is the lower cost, single core processor that has a TDP of 10W while its bigger brother, the D510 has two cores and a TDP of 13W. Both of them have 512KB cache per core, run at 1.66GHz and have their memory controller and GPU integrated on the die itself.

Seth Bobroff, general manager, Intel Data Center Group, Storage explained at CeBit that "NAS systems have traditionally been found in businesses to manage, store and access data" before adding that "households and small offices have an ever-increasing number of computers, laptops, netbooks and mobile phones that create and consume digital content."