Finer chips technology expected to increase battery life

Business travellers on transpacific flights may soon find that their notebook computer batteries last the distance, thanks to a new microprocessor fabrication process.

According to William Siu, Intel's general manager of desktop platforms, the .13 micron process, which squeezes transistors closer than the existing .18 micron process, will yield higher performance and lower power use.

Other manufacturers will also be able to use the same process, but Intel is the first to implement it at the production level, and will soon launch .13 micron versions of its Pentium III and Pentium 4 processors.

At Taiwan's Computex computer trade show last week, Mr Siu demonstrated a .13 micron version of its Pentium III processor, codenamed Tualatin. Running at 1.13 gigahertz, the new processor delivered almost double the performance of a similarly specified Pentium III PC using .18 micron technology.

Mr Siu said the chip could be used to provide a battery life of between eight to 10 hours in a lightweight sub-notebook.

Mr Siu said the Tualatin chip would be launched "this quarter," but motherboard manufacturers at Computex expected it to start shipping this month.