Intel’s new Penryn chip has been launched.

Intel has officially launched its next-generation processors based on the 45nm (nanometre - one billionth of a metre) manufacturing process, code-named “Penryn”.

The 16 server and high-end PC processors consist of a family of chips for desktops, notebooks and servers, based on Intel’s Core microarchitecture, and is available in dual-core or quad-core configurations.

They will increase computer performance, save energy use, and also eliminate eco-unfriendly lead and, in 2008, halogen materials.

Intel Corporation, the world leader in silicon innovation, first revealed details a year ago, and showed off the chips in January this year.

Essentially a shrunken version of its Core 2 Duo chips, Penryn is built with a 45nm manufacturing process, which lets chipmakers cut out more processors from a piece of silicon wafer, while improving energy efficiency.

The new 45nm  processors boast nearly twice the transistor density of previous chips built on the company’s 65nm technology – that is up to 820 million transistors for quad-core processors, each using Intel’s new formula.

Called "the biggest transistor advancements in 40 years" by Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore, the processors are the first to use Intel’s Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k) formula for the hundreds of millions of transistors inside these processors. These Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme and Xeon® processors are also the first to be manufactured on the company’s 45nm manufacturing process, further boosting performance and lowering power consumption.

“The intellects, physics and designs that went into solving one of the industry’s most daunting challenges are awe-inspiring and I congratulate the Intel teams for this breakthrough achievement,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO.

“Best yet, this feat, coupled with our industry-leading architectures, means faster and sleeker computers, longer battery life and better energy efficiency. Our objective is to bring consumers a new class of computers delivering a full internet experience in ever-smaller, more portable form factors.”

For more information, visit: www.intel.com