Intel announced yesterday that its upcoming low-cost/low-power CPUs code-named Silverthorne and Diamondville will be sold under a single brand once the products launch. The MID-centric product family will hereafter be known as “Atom.” Consumers are obviously meant to associate the Atom brand with objects of very small size, though Intel “Quark” would have a certain ring to it.

The Atom architecture is intended to give Intel a foothold in handheld devices that have traditionally been the sole domain of very low-power RISC processors. The chip itself is tiny at less than 25mm square, and, according to Santa Clara, has a TDP of 0.6W – 2.5W, as compared to a 35W TDP for a “typical” Core 2 Duo.

Intel is planning to introduce a “Centrino Atom” brand, like the original Centrino campaign, vendors will have to design their MID products within certain specifications in order to qualify. Centrino Atom products must contain an integrated graphics co-processor (presumably one that meets a minimum feature standard), a wireless radio, and what Intel refers to as a “thinner and lighter” form factor. Presumably this is to disqualify vendors who might be interested in building an MID out of, say, a brick.

The requirements to qualify for Centrino Atom are actually more open than the specifications for the original Centrino, in that Intel is not requiring vendors to use a specific Intel-branded wireless radio chip. As MID devices become more widely available in 2008, expect to see a number of Centrino Atom solutions. Intel has traditionally been quite aggressive about advertising its Centrino products, and device manufacturers will be keen on getting a piece of the pie.

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