英特尔推出Quark处理器，抢进物联网和可穿戴市场

北京时间2013年9月11日凌晨，英特尔于IDF 2013大会上正式推出了全新的Quark处理器（SoC）。Quark为英特尔目前最小的处理器产品，和现有的英特尔Atom相比，Quark的体积仅为五分之一。 英特尔新任首席执行官科再奇（Bryan Krzanich）在主题演讲中简单介绍了全新的Quark处理器，新处理器只有原来五分之一的体积，十分之一的功耗，并展示了其中的Quark X1000。科再奇称，Quark处理器是英特尔现有的体积最小的产品，同时功耗只有原来的十分之一，它可以被放到任何东西中去。

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科再奇的描述无疑清晰地表明了Quark处理器的定位：它将成为英特尔抢夺物联网市场的利器。而这其中也包括可穿戴设备，在现场，科再奇也表示英特尔在可穿戴设备方面的工作也在进行中，并现场展示了一款智能手表原型机。

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此外，还有一点值得一提的是，英特尔Quark处理器将具备完整的可定制性，也就是说其他厂商可以根据自己的需要，在英特尔的技术专利下对Quark处理器进行改造设计，这正是目前英特尔在移动计算领域最大的竞争对手ARM的做法。 业内人士认为，英特尔如此开放，可能是希望借助Quark芯片，在可穿戴设备市场上打造出一个类似ARM的成功模式。 对于物联网市场的未来，英特尔首席执行官科再奇并不掩饰自己的野心，他说：“我们的策略非常简单，我们的计划就是在任何一个计算领域都保持领先地位。” 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：用独立的芯片，还是依附于智能终端？

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{pagination} 事关未来 英特尔在可穿戴设备市场上投下了赌注，但是除了推出这样小型的芯片之外，实际上在可穿戴设备市场还存在另外一种可能，就是可穿戴设备依附于智能手机等智能终端。 在这种情况下，可穿戴设备并不需要独立的计算芯片，而是通过一个平台，将数据传输给所依附的智能终端，由后者计算数据，并且返回结果，显示在可穿戴设备上。 业内人士认为，采用这样的模式可能要比可穿戴设备配备独立的计算芯片更有优势。因为这样的可穿戴设备开发更容易，产品续航时间更持久，而且成本上可能更低。 实际上，这样的方案如果盛行，类似Quark这样的计算芯片在可穿戴设备市场上生存空间可能会被大大压缩。但是分析师们指出，在市场还还没有完全爆发之时，可能还不好分辨这两种解决方案的前景。 不管未来前景如何，做出改变总比墨守成规来得好。已经错失移动市场的英特尔已经不能再错失下一个可能爆发的市场。如果可穿戴设备是下一波技术浪潮，英特尔则必须赶上，因为这不仅仅事关这家老牌芯片巨头的脸面，甚至可能还关系着它的未来。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Intel Quark Runs on Roof, Raises Questions A 64-bit gambit? by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} Intel Quark Runs on Roof, Raises Questions A 64-bit gambit? Rick Merritt SAN FRANCISCO — An HVAC system on a rooftop in Minneapolis is running Quark, Intel's newest and smallest SoC. If all goes well, Daikin McQuay might someday buy millions of the chips. Intel announced Quark at its annual developer conference here as its bid to get a jump on the emerging Internet of Things. However, it provided no details on its technical specs or when it will be released, suggesting it is more of a rushed trial balloon than a nailed-down product and strategy. In a brief encounter after his first IDF keynote, Intel's new chief executive, Brian Krzanich, said Quark is x86 compatible. The chip he showed was made in a 32nm process, he added. In his keynote, Krzanich described Quark as a fifth the size and a tenth the power consumption of Atom. It's a synthesizable core Intel will let others use along with third-party silicon blocks in SoCs Intel will make. Designers will not be allowed to customize the Quark core. They can only connect third-party blocks to its fabric. Intel will allow some process tweaks for some customers, he added. Last week, HVAC giant Daikin got one industrial reference board using a Quark chip and including WiFi and 3G support. Kevin Facinelli, executive vice president for operations at the company, dialed into the board from the IDF event here to show it is working. "We looked at Freescale and ARM too but decided on using Quark," Facinelli said. The mechanical engineering company was not concerned about relative silicon performance. It just wanted to offer a remote maintenance capability with high security. Security software gave Intel the edge over ARM. The Quark reference board runs a stack of white-listed Wind River embedded operating system supplemented with McAfee security software, the kind of embedded system stack Intel has been touting for embedded systems for more than a year. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich holds up a 32nm Quark SoC. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich holds up a 32nm Quark SoC. Intel said it will make the Quark architecture open. But just when and how it does that, and releases product details, is unclear. Peter Glaskowsky, a veteran processor analyst, said Quark could be a 386-vintage subset of the x86 for which patents are now expired. "They could be making a virtue of necessity," Glaskowsky said. Alternatively, it could be the world's smallest 64-bit x86. In this scenario Intel could make the point the future belongs to an all 64-bit world -- a compelling argument coming the same day Apple announced it is moving the iPhone to 64-bit addressability with an iPhone 5S coming this year with a native 64-bit A7 processor, kernel, and software stack. Having 64-bit capability would differentiate Intel's Quark from a world of 32-bit ARM M-series microcontrollers as well as a host of proprietary architectures from Microchip, Renesas, and others. In this scenario both Intel and Apple use 64-bit addressability as a performance edge against an entrenched ARM world. A 64-bit address space can bolster performance even if it is not used to enable more the four Gbytes of main memory a 32-bit part can address, said Glaskowsky. A wider architecture can enable better communications and video processing without exceeding the 4 GByte limit, he noted. One wrinkle for Intel in this scenario is whether AMD has any outstanding patents on a 64-bit x86. It pioneered the architecture with its Opteron later emulated by Intel's processors. Krzanich said Intel has been working for 20 years to handle the diversity of parts SoCs such as Quark promise. The company cut fab throughput time 60 percent over that period, he said. Today Quark is more sizzle than steak. Whether it can face down an established world of microcontrollers and whether Intel can handle the kind of low-volume, high-mix foundry business it implies are questions yet to be answered. From IDF in San Francisco Kevin Facinelli of Daikin McQuay dials into a Quark industrial reference board to query an HVAC system in Minneapolis. From IDF in San Francisco Kevin Facinelli of Daikin McQuay dials into a Quark industrial reference board to query an HVAC system in Minneapolis.