IDF San Francisco 2009 preview

by Sylvie Barak on 22 September 2009, 10:16

Tags: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

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Larrabee?

Intel will likewise be hoping to wow attendees with its software prowess, touting its Turbo Technology again this year. For those who missed it last year, Turbo Boost lets users automatically adjust processing performance based on the type of work their machines are doing, to give quick bursts of performance when needed, making for more energy efficiency in general.

Battery life will also be high on this year's IDF agenda, under Intel's new slogan "HUGI" - Hurry Up and Get Idle. The technology, demoed at Computex in June 2009, will showcase Intel laptop chips going idle even in between keystrokes in order to save precious battery juice.

For enterprise, Intel's goody bag apparently contains "a multitude of business-class features" for vPro desktop and laptops, right through to Xeon-based servers. These apparently include virtualisation, security, anti-theft technology and remote computer repair.

Intel is also waxing lyrical about its "Smarter System on Chips (SoCs)" as well as the ever elusive Larrabee - Intel's GPU project  - which is also supposed to make some kind of debut at the show. Intel blogs have been promising "stunning visual computing experiences" despite rumours the chip will be delayed. Intel seems to be sticking to its guns about making Larrabee available in the first half of 2010, so it will be interesting to see what kind of a demo, if any, will be on offer.

Intel President and CEO, Paul Otellini, will kick off the keynotes on Tuesday, whilst Sean Maloney will take Gelsinger's place at a later keynote to discuss multi core innovation. Tuesday also promises to be a big day for small devices, with Intel apparently unveiling future plans for Atom in both the hand held and big iron server space.

Then, after a private concert with Maroon 5 for attendees on Tuesday night, Intel will continue on Wednesday morning with Keynotes from exec VP Dadi Perlmutter and VP Renee James, discussing all-things mobile, including the firm's brand new Nehalem / Clarksfield laptop chips and how to take advantage of Windows 7.