Intel Corporation’s Atom Chips To Power 2 Lenovo Phones

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Intel Corporation has announced that Lenovo will integrate its Atom chips into two new smartphones in 2015. According to a report from CNET, the chip maker’s 64-bit Atom processor and its LTE-advanced modem chips would be used by the Chinese smartphone maker.

Big win in China

An Intel spokesman has confirmed the report is accurate. Out of the two smartphones, one will launch in China in February, and the other will be available in emerging countries in early January. The news comes around the same time as a big talk from Intel CEO Brian Krzanich at the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan. 6 in Las Vegas.

Supplying chips for Lenovo’s smartphones represents one of Intel’s first big smartphone wins in China. Intel has powered other smartphones such as the Asus Padfone X Mini for the United States market, the Asus ZenFone for Asia, the Etisalat E20 for Egypt, and the Motorola Razr for Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Intel makes efforts to up its mobile presence

Intel is the supreme power in PC chips, but smartphones have never been its strong suit. The segment is dominated by ARM Holdings plc and other companies such as QUALCOMM, Inc. Intel was a late entry in the mobile chip business compared to its peers, which powered smartphones made by companies such as Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. However, the chip maker is working hard to enhance its mobile capabilities, making improvements in its x86 Atom platform while driving down power consumption.

Along with beefing up the power of these chips, Intel is also integrating capabilities such as 3G and 4G modems in its next family of mobile SoFIA systems-on-a-chip. The 4G LTE modem will be launched next year.

Intel is making remarkable efforts to make its place in the smartphone industry but is losing to smaller rivals such as Qualcomm, which is a dominant SoC supplier in the smartphone and tablet spaces and is looking forward to launching the 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor next year.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has said the company will continue to make efforts in mobile devices but will also ramp up its reach in other markets, including the Internet of things and wearable devices. All of Intel’s other businesses except for smartphones are showing positive results with the PC market stabilizing. In the third quarter, Intel’s Mobile Communications Group sustained a loss of $1 billion while generating only $1 million in sales. In November, the chip maker announced it was integrating its PC and mobile businesses into one unit.

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