Centrino
Centrino is a platform-marketing initiative developed by the company Intel. It is a label used for a set of technologies for the central processing unit (CPU), mainboard chipset and wireless network interface, the usage of which, according to Intel, would provide broad wireless network interoperability, better performance and a longer battery life.
The Intel Centrino chips were developed at Intel’s Research and Development (R & D) center located in Haifa, Israel. The Centrino components may be marketed as the hardware within a laptop personal computer. All three Intel-qualified parts must be used in the laptop in order for it to qualify for a Centrino label. If a laptop uses only a Centrino processor and chipset, it qualifies only for the Intel Core label.
As of 2007, Centrino has undergone four successive implementations, with two currently in development.
The first-generation Centrino platform, Carmel, was released in March 2003. The Carmel platform is comprised of the following:
Intel Pentium M processor, code-named Banias or Dothan, with 400 mega transfers per second (MT/s) front side bus (FSB), Socket 478; Intel 855 series chipset, code-named Odem or Montara, DDR-266; and an Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 or later 2200 mini-PCI Wi-Fi adapter, code-named Calexico or Calexico2.
The second-generation Centrino platform, Sonoma, was released in January 2005. The Sonoma platform is comprised of the following:
Pentium M processor, code-named Dothan, with a 533 MT/s FSB, Socket 479; Intel Mobile 915 Express series chipset, code-named Alviso, DDR2-533; and an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 or 2915ABG mini-PCI Wi-Fi adapter, code-named Calexico 2.
The third-generation Centrino platform, Napa, was released in January 2006. The Napa platform is comprised of the following: either an Intel Core Solo, Core Duo processor, code-named Yonah, or an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, code-named Merom, with a 667 MT/s FSB Socket M; an Intel Mobile 945 Express-series chipset, code-named Calistoga, with ICH7M southbridge; and an Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG mini-PCIe Wi-Fi adapter, code-named Golan.
The fourth-generation Centrino platform, Santa Rosa, was released in May 2007. The Santa Rosa platform is comprised of the following:
Intel Core 2 Duo second-generation processor, code-named Merom, with an 800 MT/s FSB, Socket P; Intel Mobile 965 Express chipset, code-named Crestline, with ICH8M southbridge; and the Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN (a/b/g/draft-n) mini-PCIe Wi-Fi adapter (code-named Kedron).
This platform comes with dynamic acceleration technology, enabling faster execution of single-threaded applications. With the enhanced security technologies introduced by Intel with vPro, the platform is branded as “Centrino Pro.” Without the enhancements, it is branded as “Centrino Duo.”
There are two new platforms currently in development: the Montevina platform, which includes support for WiMAX (802.16), expected to be released in 2008; and the Calpella platform.
Since the introduction of Centrino in 2003, Intel has sold over US$5 billion in Centrino hardware.
