Sep 20, 2010 10:37 GMT  ·  By

Though the 32nm manufacturing process is still very much set to be the main star of 2011, the Santa Clara, California-based CPU developer is, of course, thinking ahead, apparently even putting work into the 22nm manufacturing process.

Though Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs will make up the bulk of Intel's CPU strategy in 2010, the CPU maker has been working on 22nm technologies for some time now.

Apparently, the company aims to develop a new line of Atom Series chips constructed on the 22nm manufacturing process technology.

This node should be completed by 2013, though Fudzilla suggests it may yield actual products even sooner than that.

The 32nm Atom that will precede this one is codenamed Cedar Trail, the whole generation being named Saltwell.

22nm, however, will enable Intel to solve many of the performance and power efficiency challenges it is facing right now and should yield a new Atom within the next few years.

The Saltwell Atom will supposedly be the first product to sport a drastically modified core from the one currently being used.

Fudzilla also suggests that the IT player might actually develop a new Atom that will precede the one set to be part of the Saltwell platform.

This CPU will come out in 2012 and, provided Intel's engineers get around to finishing up designing the new core by that point.

Basically, Intel Corp. is already developing the next generation of CPUs and plans to use new core architectures besides just more advanced manufacturing process nodes.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no information on the core itself at this time and it will probably be many months before any sort of leak on it truly surfaces.

Until then, the market will have to 'make do' with electronics based on the 32nm process, some of which have already been detailed at IDF.