ZDNet schrijft dat Intel eind 2002 met de Banias processor zal komen. Deze processor is de eerste van Intel die speciaal ontworpen is voor gebruik in notebooks. Hiermee breekt Intel een lange traditie van het gebruiken van low voltage denktop CPU's voor het gebruik in notebooks. De Banias zal waarschijnlijk tegelijk met de mobiele Pentium 4 op de markt komen. Samen zullen deze twee CPU's de concurrentie aan moeten gaan met Transmeta en AMD op de mobiele markt:
Intel will try a new tactic to improve laptop battery life when it comes out next year with "Banias," its first chip designed from the ground up to power notebooks.
Banias, due out toward the end of 2002, is part of an increased focus on the laptop market by Intel and other chipmakers. Although desktop PC sales are limping, many manufacturers say that the worldwide market for mobile computers is faring somewhat better.
The upcoming chip, which sources say is code-named after an archaeological site in the Middle East, will differ from other Intel notebook chips in two fundamental ways.
First, the chip will contain more power conservation features than current notebook processors. Second, the chip will have a distinct architecture from Intel's desktop chips, with the addition of new features, said Frank Spindler, general manager of Intel's mobile product unit.