Intel Pushes 'Atom' Chips

Intel will push its tinest new chips behind the brand name Atom in an effort to create demand for two emerging types of computing devices. The Atom line includes chips already announced by the company, reports the Wall Street Journal. One, formerly known as Silverthorne, is aimed at cellphone-sized devices that Intel calls “MIDs”—mobile mobile Internet devices.

The other, previously called Diamondville, is for low-end computers under $250. Intel’s branding initiatives usually offer marketing money to hardware partners, and often restrict them to using only Intel chips for various functions. The new chips are ultra-small; it's the first time the company has focused primarily on shrinking its processors, rather than creating more advanced—and more expensive—chips. (More Intel stories.)