Robert Crooke, corporate vice president for the business client group at Intel, said Averill was a professional desktop platform which will support digital enterprises, homes and mobile functions.

Averill will come out with the next generation of micro-architecture using the Intel Core microprocessor, which is a new foundation for Intel-based desktop, mobile, and mainstream server multi-core processors.

The Conroe microprocessor is designed for desktop computers, the Merom microprocessor is designed for mobility, and the Woodcrest is designed for servers.

The Conroe is the first processor under the digital office platform that Intel will make available, and the firm will roll out its new architecture in the third quarter.

The company has said its next-generation dual-core processor family delivers exceptional performance and headroom to support demanding tasks, including video conferencing, multi-threaded applications and multitasking, all with outstanding performance per watt. The Conroe is bundled with the 965 chipset family, which is a new architecture. The new Intel Core micro-architecture will be the basis for many new products.

"The Conroe delivers about 40-per-cent higher performance on desktop platforms and consumes 40-per-cent less power than previous platforms. It helps IT professionals in technology that they use every day and also helps create a management processor," said Crooke.

The digital office platform also features Intel Active Management Technology and Intel Virtualisation technology. Intel Active Management Technology speeds up the service on PCs by supporting remote diagnosis and problem repair, regardless of the system state. Repair costs can be reduced through direct service calls. Intel Active Management Technology for the Averill family of PCs also contains features to isolate and contain infected clients.

Intel Virtualisation Technology enables a single platform to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions, functioning as multiple "virtual" systems.

This technology can support legacy applications critical to business or applications that must be supported on multiple operating systems simultaneously.

It can also enhance management and security of systems by providing a dedicated environment for IT services.

Accharas Ouysinprasert, country manager of Intel Microelectronics (Thailand), said the new Intel architecture would help in business management.

He said that in Thailand the firm would encourage customers to use dual core in 70 per cent of desktop computers, 75 per cent of mobile computers and 85 per cent of servers. "I believe that the new architecture will replace existing platforms within six to 18 months," he said.

jirapan@nationgroup.com

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation