Intel's new Atom hits 2GHz

Intel has unveiled a 2GHz version of its Atom processor, as the chip family celebrates its first anniversary.

The new chip was introduced by Intel senior vice president Anand Chandrasekher at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing.

Dubbed the Atom Z550, the chip will clock at 2Ghz, but maintain the family's sub-3W power envelope. The chip also includes Intel's Hyperthreading technology, which should allow it to run multiple programs more efficiently.

Intel also unveiled the Z515 featuring the company's Performance Burst Technology. This allows the 800Mhz clocked processor to ramp up to 1.2GHz when extra performance is needed.

Both of the new processors are built on the existing Silverthorn architecture and have been made available to device manufacturers.

Chandrasekher also offered a sneak peek of the next generation Atom platform, dubbed Moorestown. Due to arrive in 2010, Intel is making a lot of grand promises about the new technology, including a 10x idle-power reduction compared to current Atoms.

Click here to read all you need to know about Intel's Xeon 5500 processors.