Samsung will switch to Intel as the supplier of the processor inside in at least one version of its next 10-inch slate, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. The company makes its own Exynos ARM silicon which are already used in several Samsung products. The company will include a Clover Trail+ processor in the 10.1-inch tablet in a deal which is seen as part of Samsung’s strategy to stabilize its chip supply. Samsung will unveil the device at Computex on June 4th. Some devices which feature the Clover Trail+ include the Lenovo K900 and ZTE Geek.
Samsung’s line of Microsoft Windows “ATIV” tablets features Intel processors but ARM is the company’s choice for most of its devices. ARM chips are manufacutred by Qualcomm Inc, Samsung and Nvidia and dominates a market that could hit $25 billion by 2016 versus according to estimates by research firm Strategy Analytics.
Intel has offered competitive prices for the Atom CPUs, and the Korea Times reports an increase in Intel Korea’s Atom chip specialists over the past year. There has been some success in the push for Android-on-x86 with a version of the Motorola RAZR launched last year in markets like Argentina, Brazil, Britain, France, Germany and Mexico. Intel has confirmed its goal to expand its share in the mobile market which is currently overshadowed by ARM with its dominance of the smartphone and tablet industry. The chip company has been adapting its Atom processors to use less energy in mobile devices while achieving the same kind of power efficiency and performance as ARM chips.
Source:Reuters
