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Intel details first 10nm Cannon Lake chip: Coming first to Lenovo Ideapad 330

Intel posts a detailed spec of its first 10nm-process Cannon Lake chip, which will feature in Lenovo's Ideapad 330.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Video: Intel launches most powerful laptop chip eyeing content creation, VR, and gaming.

Intel's long-delayed 10nm processors will make their first appearance in a Lenovo Ideapad 330, with the company now detailing the initial chip's specs in its online database.

Intel initially planned to release 10nm processors in 2015 but as it revealed in its Q1 earnings report in April, it was currently only shipping 10nm product in low volumes, while pushing back higher-volume production from the second half of 2018 to some point in 2019.

The Lenovo Ideapad 330 with Intel's 10nm chip was spotted by Computerbase.de on China's JD.com, and includes the Core i3-8121U CPU, as well as 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD.

The CPU is based on Intel's Cannon Lake architecture but, instead of integrated graphics as might be expected from a mobile processor, it includes AMD's RX540 graphics.

Intel has now also published details about the Core i3-8121U CPU on its ARK catalog, which confirms it is a Cannon Lake 10nm process chip, classified as an 8th-generation i3 processor as are some of the current brand chips built on Intel's 14nm process, such as Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake.

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The specs sheet also reveals that it cycles at 2.2GHz or 3.2GHz with Intel's Turbo Boost. The chip features two cores and four threads. It also has 4MB of smart cache, supports up to 32GB memory, and can support LPDDR4X or Low Power DDR4X.

Intel says it has a maximum memory bandwidth of 41.6 GB/s. As PCWorld points out, one notable edge over the recently launched 8th generation Kaby Lake architecture Core i3-8130U chip is that the 10nm chip has 22 percent higher memory bandwidth.

Intel hasn't included a description of the integrated processor graphics as it does for the Core i3-8130U, suggesting it may need to be combined with other graphics as Lenovo has done in the Ideapad 330 for China.

The chipmaker also hasn't revealed pricing or plans for the wider availability of the chip.

Previous and related coverage

IEDM 2017: Intel unveils 10nm technology

The road to 10nm has been long and hard, but it appears Intel ultimately figured out how to deliver the benefits of scaling. The first Cannon Lake laptops should be just around the corner.

Intel's new chips: Low-power, lower-cost Gemini Lake CPUs for PCs, 2-in-1s, laptops

Intel unveils budget Gemini Lake Pentium and Celeron processors, due out next year.

Intel Core i9-8950HK: The company's most powerful laptop chip yet

Updated: Chip giant's eighth-generation Core i9 features six cores and 12 threads, and is aimed at content creation and VR.

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