As per reports, the silicon giant Intel is working on a new Atom SoC which goes by the codename Lightning Mountain. The details of the upcoming chip were spotted in the recently released Linux kernel patch notes by Phoronix (via Tom’s Hardware).
It’s speculated that the new SoC will be a “network processor” much like Snow Ridge. The latter was unveiled earlier this year and built to power 5G base stations.
However, the Linux kernel code suggests the upcoming chip could serve more use cases than just networking. We can expect Lightning Mountain support to arrive on Linux Kernel 5.4.
The Lightning Mountain chip is based on 14nm Airmont architecture. But it remains unknown why Intel did not go for newer architecture, including Goldmont Plus (14nm) and Tremont (10nm).
Speaking of Intel chips, the company has recently made a hoard of new releases and announcements. The list includes Intel’s first AI chip called “Springhill,” which it announced at HotChips 2019.
Intel has also refreshed its 10th Gen lineup with 8 new mobile chips based on the 14nm Comet Lake architecture. So, the arrival of the new Atom SoC based on the Airmont architecture will be another 14nm chip from Intel.
