Atom (system on a chip)

Atom is a system on a chip (SoC) platform designed for smartphones and tablet computers, launched by Intel in 2012. It is a continuation of the partnership announced by Intel and Google on September 13, 2011 to provide support for the Android operating system on Intel x86 processors. This range competes with existing SoCs developed for the smartphone and tablet market from companies such as Texas Instruments, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Samsung. Unlike these companies, which use ARM-based CPUs designed from the beginning to consume very low power, Intel has adapted the x86-based Intel Atom line of CPU developed for low power usage in netbooks, to even lower power usage.

Since April 2012, several manufacturers have released Intel Atom-based tablets and phones as well as using the SoCs as a basis for other small form factor devices (e.g. mini PCs and stick PCs).

In April 2016, Intel announced a major restructuring, including the cancellation of the SoFIA platform. It was reported by many news outlets that Broxton (the final version in the Atom line) was cancelled.

List of systems Model number, SoC and platform codenamesFabrication technologyCPUGPUMemoryAvailabilityUtilizing devicesInstruction setMicroarchitectureModel, frequencyCacheMicroarchitectureModel, frequencyAtom Z2460 (Penwell, platform Medfield)32 nm High-κ/metal gatex86Saltwell with HT1.6 GHz single-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KBPowerVR Series 5 (SGX)540 @ 400 MHz(6.4 GFLOPs)32-bit Dual-channel 400 MHz LPDDR2-800 (6.4 GB/s)Q2 2012Atom Z2480 (platform Medfield)2 GHz single-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB32-bit Dual-channel 400 MHz LPDDR2-800 (6.4 GB/s)Q3 2012Atom Z2420 (Lexington, platform Medfield)1.2 GHz single-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB32-bit Dual-channel 400 MHz LPDDR2-800 (6.4 GB/s)January 25, 2013SafaricomLtd Twitter TwitterAtom Z2760 (Cloverview, platform Clover Trail)1.8 GHz dual-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB (per core)545 @ 533 MHz(8.5 GFLOPs)32-bit Dual-channel 400 MHz LPDDR2-800 (6.4 GB/s)Q4 2012Atom Z2520 (Cloverview, platform Clover Trail+)1.2 GHz dual-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB (per core)PowerVR Series 5XT (SGX)544 MP2 @ 300 MHz(19.2 GFLOPs)32-bit Dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR2-1066 (8.5 GB/s)2013Atom Z2560 (Cloverview, platform Clover Trail+)1.6 GHz dual-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB (per core)544 MP2 @ 400 MHz(25.6 GFLOPs)32-bit Dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR2-1066 (8.5 GB/s)Q2 2013Atom Z2580 (Cloverview, platform Clover Trail+)2 GHz dual-coreL1: 32 KB Instruction + 24 KB Data, L2: 512 KB (per core)544 MP2 @ 533 MHz(34.1 GFLOPs)32-bit Dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR2-1066 (8.5 GB/s)Q2 2013Atom Z3680 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)22 nmx86-64Silvermont1.33 GHz (2 GHz burst frequency)1 MB L2 CacheIntel Gen 7 (Ivy Bridge)311-667 MHz64-bit single-channel 533 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (8.5 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3680D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (2 GHz burst frequency) dual-core1 MB L2 Cache313-688 MHz64-bit single-channel 666 MHz DDR3L-RS-1333 (10.6 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3740D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.86 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache313-688 MHz64-bit single-channel 666 MHz DDR3L-RS-1333 (10.6 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3740 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.86 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-667 MHz64-bit dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (17.1 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3745D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.83 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache313-792 MHz64-bit single-channel 666 MHz DDR3L-RS-1333 (10.6 GB/s)Q1 2014Atom Z3745 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.86 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-778 MHz64-bit dual-channel 666 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (17.1 GB/s)Q1 2014Atom Z3770D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.5 GHz (2.41 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache313-688 MHz64-bit single-channel 666 MHz DDR3L-RS-1333 (10.6 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3770 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.46 GHz (2.39 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-667 MHz64-bit dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (17.1 GB/s)Q3 2013Atom Z3775 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.46 GHz (2.39 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-778 MHz64-bit dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (17.1 GB/s)Q1 2014Asus Transformer Book T90 ChiAtom Z3795 (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.59 GHz (2.39 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-778 MHz64-bit dual-channel 533 MHz LPDDR3-1066 (17.1 GB/s)Q1 2014HP ElitePad 1000 G2Atom Z3735D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.83 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-667 MHz64-bit single-channel 666 MHz DDR3L-RS-1333 (10.6 GB/s)Q1 2014Asus X205, Tesco Hudl2, MeeGoPad T02Atom Z3736D (Valleyview, platform Bay Trail)1.33 GHz (1.83 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 Cache311-646 MHz64-bit single-channel DDR3L-RS 1333Q1 2014HP Pavilion x2Atom Z3460 (Tangier, platform Merrifield)1.60 GHz dual-core1 MB L2 CachePowerVR Series6 (Rogue) G6400400-457 MHz(117 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1066, dual-channel, 8.5 GB/sQ2 20142014 Dell Venue 7Atom Z3480 (Tangier, platform Merrifield)2.13 GHz dual-core1 MB L2 Cache457-533 MHz(136 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1066, dual-channel, 8.5 GB/sQ2 20142014 Dell Venue 8Atom Z3530 (Anniedale, platform Moorefield)1.33 GHz quad-core2 MB L2 CachePowerVR Series6 (Rogue) G6430457 MHz(117 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ4 2014Atom Z3560 (Anniedale, platform Moorefield)1.83 GHz quad-core2 MB L2 Cache457–533 MHz(136 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ4 2014Atom Z3570 (Anniedale, platform Moorefield)2 GHz quad-core2 MB L2 Cache457–640 MHz(155 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ3 2014Atom Z3580 (Anniedale, platform Moorefield)2.33 GHz quad-core2 MB L2 Cache457–533 MHz(136 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ4 2014Atom Z3590 (Anniedale, platform Moorefield)2.5 GHz quad-core2 MB L2 Cache457–640 MHz(155 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ3 2015Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition (ZE551ML) Asus Zenfone Zoom (ZX550ML/ZX551ML)Atom x5-Z8300 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)14 nmx86-64Airmont1.44 GHz (1.84 GHz burst frequency) quad-core2 MB L2 CacheIntel Gen 8 (Broadwell, 12 EU)200–500 MHz(96 GFLOPs)DDR3L-RS 1600, single-channel, 12.8 GB/sQ2 2015Atom x5-Z8350 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)1.44 GHz (1.92 GHz burst frequency) quad-core200–500 MHz(96 GFLOPs)Q1 2016RDP Thinbook (new 14.1-inch mid-2017), RDP Thinbook (11.6-inch) Dell Wyse 3040Atom x5-Z8500 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)1.44 GHz (2.24 GHz burst frequency) quad-core200–600 MHz(115 GFLOPs)LPDDR3-1600, dual-channel, 25.6 GB/sQ1 2015Atom x5-Z8550 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)1.44 GHz (2.4 GHz burst frequency) quad-core200–600 MHz(115 GFLOPs)Q1 2016Lenovo Yoga BookAtom x7-Z8700 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)1.6 GHz (2.4 GHz burst frequency) quad-coreIntel Gen 8 (Broadwell, 16 EU)200–600 MHz(153 GFLOPs)Q1 2015Surface 3, Acer Predator 8, GPD WinAtom x7-Z8750 (Cherryview, platform Cherry Trail)1.6 GHz (2.56 GHz burst frequency) quad-core200–600 MHz(153 GFLOPs)Q1 2016GPD PocketBroxton, platforms Morganfield and Willow TrailGoldmontIntel Gen 9 (Skylake)2016

Merrifield and Moorefield smartphone platforms In Q1 2014, Intel launched its fully Android compatible smartphone platform Merrifield based on a 22 nm SoC. It was followed by its platform refresh Moorefield in Q4 2014.

Operating system support on Cloverview While Penwell SoC supports, in addition to Microsoft Windows, both Linux and Android operating systems, Intel has announced that it will not provide support for Linux on Cloverview family of Atom systems-on-a-chip.IDF: Intel says Clover Trail will not work with Linux. TheInquirerIntel declares Clover Trail Atom processor a "no Linux" zone. ArsTechnica This announcement has caused strong negative reaction from open source proponents.. TechWeek europe A few days later Intel issued a statement saying that it h27x0 series). The Clover Trail+ platform was later released targeting Google Android (z25x0 series).

The last version of Windows 10 to support Cloverview is the Anniversary Update (version 1607) until January 10, 2023 when the last public security patch KB5022289 was released; later versions of Windows 10 and all versions of Windows 11 cannot be installed.

New power states on Cloverview

Z2760 Cloverview has introduced two new power states: S0i1 and S0i3.Meet Clover Trail, Intel's chip for mid-range Windows 8 tablets and hybrids. PC World The S0i1 state is intended to be used when the display is on but the user does not actively interact with the device; it consumes power in mW range, and can be entered/left in microseconds. The S0i3 state is intended to be used when the device display is off; it consumes power in microwatt range, and can be entered/left in milliseconds. As a result, Intel claims longer standby battery life (up to three weeks for a typical tablet).

Roadmap

Airmont-based Atom platforms will be codenamed Moorefield (smartphones) and Cherry Trail (tablets) using the Anniedale and Cherryview SoCs.

In May 2011, Intel announced an accelerated roadmap for Atom System-on-Chip (SoC) products, introducing the 22 nm Silvermont microarchitecture in 2013.

Silvermont Microarchitecture (2013) Atom SoCs included

Tangier (Merrifield): Designed for smartphones. Valleyview (Bay Trail): Targeted at tablets, featuring Intel's 7th generation GPU, which provided a 4–7× improvement in performance over previous Atom GPUs.Silvermont, Intel’s Low Power Architecture. real world technologiesIntel quad-core SoC processors detailed in leaked documents. ZDNetDetails on Intel's Valleyview SoC Emerge: 22nm Atom with Ivy Bridge Graphics. AnandTech Rangeley and Avoton: Developed for networking and storage applications, part of the Edisonville platform.

Airmont Microarchitecture (2014) Airmont is the 14 nm die shrink of the Silvermont microarchitecture, with the following Atom platforms:Updated: Intel rewrites Atom road map. EETimes

Moorefield: Developed for smartphones. Cherry Trail: Designed for tablets, using the Cherryview SoC.

Goldmont and Goldmont Plus Microarchitectures (2016–2019) Intel introduced the Goldmont (2016) and Goldmont Plus (2018) microarchitectures, featuring improvements in efficiency and performance. Key platforms included:

Apollo Lake (2016): Targeted at low-power laptops, Chromebooks, and embedded systems. Gemini Lake (2017): An enhancement over Apollo Lake, supporting higher clock speeds and improved integrated graphics.

The planned Morganfield (smartphones) and Willow Trail (tablets) platforms, based on the Broxton SoC, were canceled in 2016 as Intel shifted its Atom focus toward embedded and IoT devices.

Tremont Microarchitecture (2019) In 2019, Intel introduced the Tremont microarchitecture, which improved instructions-per-cycle (IPC) efficiency. Tremont-based Atom processors included:

Elkhart Lake (2020): Targeted at industrial IoT and embedded applications. Jasper Lake (2021): Designed for low-power consumer laptops and Chromebooks.

Alder Lake-N and Future Atom Successors (2023–present) Introduced in 2023, Alder Lake-N processors succeed the Atom series, utilizing Gracemont efficiency cores for budget-friendly laptops, Chromebooks, and entry-level desktops. Unlike previous Atom architectures, they integrate technologies from Intel’s mainstream Core series, improving performance and efficiency.

Intel continues advancing low-power SoC architectures, incorporating Intel 4, Intel 3, and Intel 20A process nodes with RibbonFET and PowerVia technologies.

Subsequent developments integrate Atom-class efficiency cores into hybrid architectures:

Meteor Lake (2023): Intel 4, modular tile-based design, Crestmont efficiency cores, first use of EUV lithography. Arrow Lake (2024): Expected to refine performance-per-watt optimizations. Lunar Lake (2025): Projected 3× AI performance improvement over predecessors, targeting AI-driven applications.