Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is reportedly working on chips designed just for tablet devices, according to a report on Digitimes. Citing industry sources, the report says that the new processors will take on ARM's CPUs on the tablet front, and will be designed with a special emphasis on performance and thermal design power (TDP). The Atom Medfield platform that was originally designed to cater to both the smartphone and tablet segments will now be positioned to target mobile handsets. 

More telling perhaps is Intel's reported plan to upgrade its manufacturing processes for these new CPUs to once a year instead of the usual two-year cycle. Intel hopes to bring the TDP ratings of the new chips to below 10W within a couple of years with the accelerated product cycle.

ARM is currently dominating the mobile device space due to its performance and superior TDP, the latter of which has been Intel's weakness. The decision to launch a dedicated processor for tablet devices is also a telling reflection of the importance that Intel has attached to the tablet space, which I have heard described as "brutal" by at least one industry player.

An important push factor behind the move could be Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) commitment to releasing an ARM-based version of Windows 8. As reported earlier, Windows 8 is designed to be used by tablets and the traditional desktop interface. In addition, ARM has not been resting on its laurels. The company has recently announced its big.LITTLE architecture that switches between two processors to attain both high performance and battery-sipping performance within a single SoC.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at eWeek

Related Articles:
SLIDESHOW: Top 8 features to expect from Windows 8
ARM unveils big.LITTLE architecture for tablets, ultrathin laptops