英特尔移动领域之“芯”，路人皆知

半导体业界巨擘英特尔公司(Intel)终于进军无线领域了。经过多年的努力，该公司表示，其针对移动装置研发的 Medfield 新款处理器已获得全球三家主要OEM采用，将搭载于其新款智能手机与平板电脑设计中。 在 2012年国际消费性电子展(CES)上，英特尔(Intel)公司宣布与中国联通(China Unicom)、联想(Lenovo Group)与摩托罗拉移动公司(Motorola Mobility Inc.)携手展开重要的设计合作。联想、摩托罗拉与中国联通将在今年推出基于英特尔架构的智能手机。这家全球主要的半导体公司将实现其长久以来追寻进 军无线产业的目标。 “当强大的芯片与软件技术结合卓越的移动与设计创新，即将展现惊人的成就，”英特尔公司总裁兼CEO欧德宁(Paul Otellini)表示，“我们与摩托罗拉公司长久以来的合作关系，将有助于加速英特尔架构导入新的移动细分市场。” 对 于英特尔而言，取得这些设计订单的意义并未被过份强调。多年来，该公司一直努力地寻求抢进这一领域。但一开始面对市场主导地位的ARM架构旋即败阵下来。 即使英特尔的PC OEM客户都担心，假如英特尔在无线设备市场成功主导另一架构，也只是带来另一个近乎垄断的结果。当时甚至预期英特尔专门为PC市场设计的处理器功耗过 大，无法为无线产业带来最佳化应用。 为了证明这些疑虑是错的，英特尔公司斥资数十亿美元进行收购以及开发新产品的移动。多次 的收购移动并未为其带来想要的结果，英特尔也一直未能在此领域取得初步的进展。一直到最近，该公司开始在其PC微处理器事业部门布署巨大的内部工程资源以 及大量的现金储备。英特尔自此开始针对无线市场开发芯片组与参考设计。 英特尔的种种努力终于开花结果，最终为中国联通、联想和摩托罗拉带来了Atom系列处理器。英特尔与几家公司的合作协议总算为英特尔带来长久来梦寐以求能够感到骄傲的权利，同时也明白地昭告业界，尽管过去经历多次失败，英特尔也绝不会轻言放弃这个领域。 另一方面，对于ARM而言，一个如恶梦般的旅程却正悄悄地展开。藉由掌握客户寻求避免出现另一个垄断势力的优势，ARM在无线领域迅速打造出拥有广大客户群 的基础，长久以来持续在这一市场占有主导地位。然而，在英特尔积极进军这一领域后，无疑地将会打破这道厚墙。如果其它OEM与电信公司开始拥抱英特尔架 构，那么ARM的市占率将在接下来几年内开始显著下滑。 当然，如果英特尔的芯片无法发挥作用，英特尔也可能再次面临失败。就 算是这样，英特尔也将再次尝试。正如欧德宁在CES上所说的，整个世界的焦点正从对于个人计算机的关注转变到个人运算上。英特尔公司不能也不会被排除在这个 无线世界之外。无论如何，英特尔都必须建立在这个总算稳当的立足点上。 编译：Susan Hong 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Intel Muscles Into Smartphones, Tablets，by Bolaji Ojo, Editor in Chief

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{pagination} Intel Muscles Into Smartphones, Tablets Bolaji Ojo, Editor in Chief Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), the 800-pound gorilla of the semiconductor market, has finally entered the wireless court. After years of trying, the company said its processors will be designed into smartphones and tablet PCs at three of the world's leading OEMs. At the annual Consumer Electronics Show, Intel announced critical design deals with China Unicom Ltd. (NYSE: CHU), Lenovo Group Ltd. (Hong Kong: 992), and Motorola Mobility Inc. (NYSE: MMI) -- its first successful challenge of ARM Ltd. (Nasdaq: ARMHY; London: ARM) in the market. Lenovo, Motorola, and China Unicom will roll out devices based on Intel architecture this year. The world's leading semiconductor company will be getting the validation it has long sought as a player in the wireless industry. "When great silicon and software technology meets great mobile and design innovation, amazing things can happen," Paul Otellini, Intel's president and CEO, said in a press release. "Our long-term relationship with Motorola Mobility will help accelerate Intel architecture into new mobile market segments." The significance of these design wins for Intel cannot be overemphasized. For years, the company has struggled to break into the sector. It initially fought vainly against the dominance of ARM architecture. Even Intel's PC OEM customers worried that another near-monopoly would result if it gained a large following in the wireless equipment market. There was even speculation that its processors, most of which were designed for the personal computer market, were power hogs and would not be so optimal for the cellular industry. Efforts to prove the doubters wrong led the company to pour billions into acquisitions and product development initiatives. Many of the acquisitions -- some early in the last decade -- failed to produce the desired results, and Intel could not make a dent in the sector. More recently, it began deploying its enormous internal engineering resources and the huge cash hoard built up in the PC microprocessor business. Intel has since developed chipsets and reference designs for the wireless market. These efforts produced the Atom processor, which China Unicom, Lenovo, and Motorola will use. The agreements gave Intel the bragging rights it has long desired and signaled clearly that it won't walk away from the sector, despite the past failures. Few companies would like to have Intel as a rival, as Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) (NYSE: AMD) can attest. Meanwhile, in England, a nightmarish journey is beginning for ARM, the IP company that rapidly built up a commanding customer base in the wireless sector on the strength of patronage by customers seeking to ward off another monopoly. ARM has maintained its leading position in this market, but Intel's latest design wins will most certainly break the dam wall. If other OEMs and telecoms embrace the Intel architecture (a lot of incentives from the company would help, especially in a price-challenged market), ARM's marketshare could slip dramatically over the next few years. Of course, Intel could face another failure if its chips fail to catch fire. In that case, the company would be forced to try again. As Otellini said in a CES presentation, the world is transitioning from a focus on personal computers to a focus on personal computing. Intel cannot afford to be excluded from this wirelessly charged world. Somehow, it has to build on this toehold it has finally secured.