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Bonnell is a CPU microarchitecture used by
Intel Atom Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Cor ...
processors which can execute up to two instructions per cycle. Like many other x86 microprocessors, it translates x86 instructions ( CISC instructions) into simpler internal operations (sometimes referred to as
micro-ops In computer central processing units, micro-operations (also known as micro-ops or μops, historically also as micro-actions) are detailed low-level instructions used in some designs to implement complex machine instructions (sometimes termed m ...
, effectively
RISC In computer engineering, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) is a computer designed to simplify the individual instructions given to the computer to accomplish tasks. Compared to the instructions given to a complex instruction set comput ...
style instructions) prior to execution. The majority of instructions produce one micro-op when translated, with around 4% of instructions used in typical programs producing multiple micro-ops. The number of instructions that produce more than one micro-op is significantly fewer than the P6 and
NetBurst The NetBurst microarchitecture, called P68 inside Intel, was the successor to the P6 microarchitecture in the x86 family of central processing units (CPUs) made by Intel. The first CPU to use this architecture was the Willamette-core Pentium ...
microarchitecture In computer engineering, microarchitecture, also called computer organization and sometimes abbreviated as µarch or uarch, is the way a given instruction set architecture (ISA) is implemented in a particular processor. A given ISA may be impl ...
s. In the Bonnell microarchitecture, internal micro-ops can contain both a memory load and a memory store in connection with an ALU operation, thus being more similar to the x86 level and more powerful than the micro-ops used in previous designs. This enables relatively good performance with only two integer ALUs, and without any instruction reordering,
speculative execution Speculative execution is an optimization technique where a computer system performs some task that may not be needed. Work is done before it is known whether it is actually needed, so as to prevent a delay that would have to be incurred by doing t ...
or
register renaming In computer architecture, register renaming is a technique that abstracts logical registers from physical registers. Every logical register has a set of physical registers associated with it. When a machine language instruction refers to a particu ...
. A side effect of having no speculative execution is invulnerability against
Meltdown Meltdown may refer to: Science and technology * Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident * Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors * Mutational meltdown, in population genetics Arts and entertainment Music * Me ...
and
Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
. The Bonnell microarchitecture therefore represents a partial revival of the principles used in earlier Intel designs such as P5 and the
i486 The Intel 486, officially named i486 and also known as 80486, is a microprocessor. It is a higher-performance follow-up to the Intel 386. The i486 was introduced in 1989. It represents the fourth generation of binary compatible CPUs following the ...
, with the sole purpose of enhancing the
performance per watt In computing, performance per watt is a measure of the energy efficiency of a particular computer architecture or computer hardware. Literally, it measures the rate of computation that can be delivered by a computer for every watt of power consume ...
ratio. However,
Hyper-Threading Hyper-threading (officially called Hyper-Threading Technology or HT Technology and abbreviated as HTT or HT) is Intel's proprietary simultaneous multithreading (SMT) implementation used to improve parallelization of computations (doing multip ...
is implemented in an easy (i.e. low-power) way to employ the whole
pipeline Pipeline may refer to: Electronics, computers and computing * Pipeline (computing), a chain of data-processing stages or a CPU optimization found on ** Instruction pipelining, a technique for implementing instruction-level parallelism within a s ...
efficiently by avoiding the typical single thread dependencies.


First generation cores


Silverthorne microprocessor

On 2 March 2008, Intel announced a new single-core Atom Z5xx series processor (code-named Silverthorne), to be used in
ultra-mobile PC An ultra-mobile PC, or ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), is a miniature version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this d ...
s and mobile Internet devices (MIDs), which will supersede Stealey (A100 and A110). The processor has 47 million transistors on a 25 mm2 die, allowing for extremely economical production at that time (~2500 chips on a single 300 mm diameter wafer). An Atom Z500 processor's dual-thread performance is equivalent to its predecessor Stealey, but should outperform it on applications that can use simultaneous multithreading and
SSE3 SSE3, Streaming SIMD Extensions 3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI), is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 (x86) architecture. Intel introduced SSE3 in early 2004 with the Prescott revis ...
. They run from 0.8 to 2.0 GHz and have a TDP rating between 0.65 and 2.4 W that can dip down to 0.01 W when idle. They feature 32 KB instruction L1 and 24 KB data L1 caches, 512 KB L2 cache and a 533 MT/s front-side bus. The processors are manufactured in 45 nm process.
Poulsbo Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census and an estimated 10,927 in 2018. The area was historically in ...
was used as System Controller Hub and the platform was called Menlow.


Diamondville microprocessor

On 2 March 2008, Intel announced lower-power variants of the Diamondville CPU named Atom N2xx. It was intended for use in nettops and the
Classmate PC The Classmate PC, formerly known as Eduwise, is Intel's entry into the market for low-cost personal computers for children in the developing world. It is in some respects similar to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) trade association's Children's ...
. Like their predecessors, these are single-core CPUs with Hyper-Threading. The N270 has a TDP rating of 2.5 W, runs at 1.6 GHz and has a 533 MHz FSB. The N280 has a clock speed of 1.66 GHz and a 667 MHz FSB. On 22 September 2008, Intel announced a new 64-bit dual-core processor (unofficially code-named Dual Diamondville) branded Atom 330, to be used in desktop computers. It runs at 1.6 GHz and has an FSB speed of 533 MHz and a TDP rating of 8 W. Its dual core consists of two Diamondville dies on a single substrate. During 2009,
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used the Atom 300 and their GeForce 9400M chipset on a
mini-ITX Mini-ITX is a motherboard form-factor, developed by VIA Technologies in 2001. They are commonly used in small-configured computer systems. Originally, they were a niche product, designed for fan-less cooling with a low power consumption archit ...
form factor motherboard for their
Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
platform.


First generation power requirements

Although the Atom processor itself is relatively low-power for an x86 microprocessor, many chipsets commonly used with it dissipate significantly more power. For example, while the Atom N270 commonly used in netbooks through mid-2010 has a TDP rating of 2.5 W, an Intel Atom platform that uses the 945GSE Express chipset has a specified maximum TDP of 11.8 W, with the processor responsible for a relatively small portion of the total power dissipated. Individual figures are 2.5 W for the N270 processor, 6 W for the 945GSE chipset and 3.3 W for the 82801GBM I/O controller. Intel also provides a US15W
System Controller Hub System Controller Hub (SCH) is a family of Intel microchips employed in chipsets for low-power Atom-based platforms. Its architecture is consistent with the Intel Hub Architecture but combines the traditional northbridge and southbridge function ...
-based chipset with a combined TDP of less than 5 W together with the Atom Z5xx (Silverthorne) series processors, to be used in ultra-mobile PCs and MIDs, though some manufacturers have released ultra-thin systems running these processors (e.g. Sony VAIO X). Initially, all Atom motherboards on the consumer market featured the Intel 945GC chipset, which uses 22 watts by itself. As of early 2009, only a few manufacturers are offering lower-power motherboards with a 945GSE or US15W chipset and an Atom N270, N280 or Z5xx series CPU.


Second generation cores


Pineview microprocessor

On 21 December 2009, Intel announced the N450, D510 and D410 CPUs with integrated graphics. The new manufacturing process resulted in a 20% reduction in power consumption and a 60% smaller die size. The Intel GMA 3150, a 45 nm shrink of the GMA 3100 with no HD capabilities, is included as the on-die GPU. Netbooks using this new processor were released on 11 January 2010. The major new feature is longer battery life (10 or more hours for 6-cell systems). This generation of the Atom was codenamed Pineview, which is used in the Pine Trail platform. Intel's Pine Trail-M platform utilizes an Atom processor (codenamed Pineview-M) and
Platform Controller Hub The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) is a family of Intel's single-chip chipsets, first introduced in 2009. It is the successor to the Intel Hub Architecture, which used two chips - a Northbridge (computing), northbridge and Southbridge (computing), ...
(codenamed Tiger Point). The graphics and memory controller have moved into the processor, which is paired with the Tiger Point PCH. This creates a more power-efficient 2-chip platform rather than the 3-chip one used with previous-generation Atom chipsets. On 1 March 2010, Intel introduced the N470 processor, running at 1.83 GHz with a 667 MHz FSB and a TDP rating of 6.5 W. The new Atom N4xx chips became available on 11 January 2010. It is used in
netbook Netbook was a commonly used term that identified a product class of small and inexpensive laptops which were sold from 2007 to around 2013. These machines were designed primarily as cost-effective tools for consumers to access the Inte ...
and
nettop A nettop (or miniature PC, Mini PC or Smart Micro PC) is a small-sized, inexpensive, low-power, legacy-free desktop computer designed for basic tasks such as web browsing, accessing web-based applications, document processing, and audio/video ...
systems and includes an integrated single-channel DDR2 memory controller and an integrated graphics core. It also features
Hyper-Threading Hyper-threading (officially called Hyper-Threading Technology or HT Technology and abbreviated as HTT or HT) is Intel's proprietary simultaneous multithreading (SMT) implementation used to improve parallelization of computations (doing multip ...
and is manufactured on a 45 nm process. The new design uses half the power of the older Menlow platform. This reduced overall power consumption and size makes the platform more desirable for use in smartphones and other mobile internet devices. The D4xx and D5xx series support the
x86-64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit version of the x86 instruction set, first released in 1999. It introduced two new modes of operation, 64-bit mode and compatibility mode, along with a new 4-level paging mod ...
bit instruction set and DDR2-800 memory. They are rated for embedded use. The series has an integrated graphics processor built directly into the CPU to help improve performance. The models are targeted at nettops and low-end desktops. They do not support SpeedStep. The Atom D510 dual-core processor runs at 1.66 GHz, with 1 MB of L2 cache and a TDP rating of 13 W. The single-core Atom D410 runs at 1.66 GHz, with 512 KB of L2 cache and a TDP rating of 10 W.


Tunnel Creek microprocessor

Tunnel Creek is an embedded Atom processor used in the Queens Bay platform with the Topcliff PCH.


Lincroft microprocessor

The Lincroft (Z6xx) with the Whitney Point PCH is included in the Oak Trail tablet platform. Oak Trail is an Intel Atom platform based on Moorestown. Both platforms include a Lincroft microprocessor, but use two distinct input/output Platform Controller Hubs (I/O-PCH), codenamed Langwell and Whitney Point respectively. Oak Trail was presented on 11 April 2011 and was to be released in May 2011. The Z670 processor, part of the Oak Trail platform, delivers improved video playback, faster Internet browsing and longer battery life, "without sacrificing performance" according to Intel. Oak Trail includes support for 1080p video decoding as well as HDMI. The platform also has improved power efficiency and allows applications to run on various operating systems, including Android, MeeGo and Windows.


Stellarton microprocessor

Stellarton is a Tunnel Creek CPU with an Altera Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).


Sodaville SoC

Sodaville is a consumer electronics Atom SoC.


Groveland SoC

Groveland is a consumer electronics Atom SoC.


Third generation cores

The 32 nm shrink of Bonnell is called Saltwell.


Cedarview microprocessor

Intel released their third-generation Cedar Trail platform (consisting of a range of Cedarview processors and the NM10 southbridge chip) based on 32 nm process technology in the fourth quarter of 2011. Intel stated that improvements in graphics capabilities, including support for 1080p video, additional display options including HDMI and DisplayPort, and enhancements in power consumption are to enable fanless designs with longer battery life. The Cedar Trail platform includes two new CPUs, 32 nm-based N2800 (1.86 GHz) and N2600 (1.6 GHz), which replace the previous generation Pineview N4xx and N5xx processors. The CPUs also feature an integrated GPU that supports DirectX 9. In addition to the netbook platform, two new Cedarview CPUs for nettops, D2500 and D2700, were released on 25 September 2011. In early March 2012, the N2800-based Intel DN2800MT motherboard started to become available. Due to the use of a netbook processor, this Mini-ITX motherboard can reach idle power consumption as low as 7.1 W.


Penwell SoC

Penwell is an Atom SoC that is part of the Medfield MID/Smartphone platform.


Berryville SoC

Berryville is a consumer electronics Atom SoC.


Cloverview SoC

Cloverview is an Atom SoC that is part of the
Clover Trail Atom is a system on a chip (SoC) platform designed for smartphones and tablet computers, launched by Intel in 2012. It is a continuation of the partnership announced by Intel and Google on September 13, 2011 to provide support for the Android (op ...
tablet platform.


Centerton SoC

In December 2012, Intel launched the 64-bit Centerton family of Atom CPUs, designed specifically for use in Bordenville platform
server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
s. Based on the 32 nm Saltwell architecture, Centerton adds features previously unavailable in most Atom processors, such as
Intel VT x86 virtualization is the use of hardware-assisted virtualization capabilities on an x86/x86-64 CPU. In the late 1990s x86 virtualization was achieved by complex software techniques, necessary to compensate for the processor's lack of hardware-as ...
virtualization In computing, virtualization or virtualisation (sometimes abbreviated v12n, a numeronym) is the act of creating a virtual (rather than actual) version of something at the same abstraction level, including virtual computer hardware platforms, stor ...
technology, and support for
ECC memory Error correction code memory (ECC memory) is a type of computer data storage that uses an error correction code (ECC) to detect and correct n-bit data corruption which occurs in memory. ECC memory is used in most computers where data corruption c ...
.


Briarwood SoC

Briarwood is an Atom SoC that is designed for a server platform.


Roadmap


See also

*
List of Intel CPU microarchitectures The following is a ''partial'' list of Intel CPU microarchitectures. The list is ''incomplete''. Additional details can be found in Intel's Tick–tock model and Process–architecture–optimization model. x86 microarchitectures 16-bit ; ...
*
List of Intel Atom microprocessors The Intel Atom is Intel's line of low-power, low-cost and low-performance x86 and x86-64 microprocessors. Atom, with codenames of '' Silverthorne'' and '' Diamondville'', was first announced on March 2, 2008. For Nettop and Netbook Atom Micr ...
*
Atom (system on chip) Atom is a system on a chip (SoC) platform designed for smartphones and tablet computers, launched by Intel in 2012. It is a continuation of the partnership announced by Intel and Google on September 13, 2011 to provide support for the Andro ...
* Tick-Tock model


References

* * * * * * *


Notes


External links


Intel - Intel Atom Processor Overview

Intel Atom Processor

Intel - Intel Atom Processor Family
{{Intel processors, bonnell Intel microarchitectures X86 microarchitectures