Intel Developing Next OLPC CPU?

Intel has announced plans to develop a new microprocessor architecture for the One Laptop Per Child notebook project and other low-cost computers.

Last July, chipmaker Intel joined the board of the One Laptop Per Child project, in a move widely seen as a play to usurp AMD’s position at the heart of the OLPC XO laptop to be built by Taiwan’s Quanta. Now, Intel says it has plans to develop a new microprocessor architecture explicitly for the OLPC project and other low-cost notebook computers, and plans to unveil the design at its developer forum to be held in Shanghai in April, 2008.

Current OLPC XO notebooks run on a 433 Mhz AMD Geode LX-700 processor. One design goal of the OLPC project was to create computer which could be used for educational purposes in developing nations where access to things like indoor classrooms and reliable electricity aren’t necessarily available; as a result, the OLPC Xo features a low-power design with built-in recharging capabilities. No current Intel microprocessor lines—even those used in its competing Classmate PCs—can meet the OLPC XO’s requirements, so Intel will develop a new architecture for ultra lower-power systems.

According to InfoWorld, the chips will be based on either the A100 or A110 Celeron M, or on the upcoming Silverthorne 45 nm chip.

The announcement doesn’t necessarily mean that Intel will supplant the AMD Geode in the OLPC XO; for one thing, the XO is slated to go into mass production shortly, long before an Intel chip design will be presented to the OLPC organization. Instead, it’s more likely the Intel chip will be considered for future OLPC notebook systems, perhaps including a more-powerful, less-ruggedized notebook intended for use in urban schools where more infrastructure is available.