A family of low-voltage x86 CPUs from Intel that was created for portable devices. Along with the introduction of the Atom in 2008, Intel coined the term "netbook" for small, entry-level Atom-based notebooks. Atom chips are used in a variety of Windows tablets.
Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, Atom CPUs deliver more performance per watt than Intel desktop CPUs and produce much less heat. The chip footprint is also significantly smaller; for example, a single 12" wafer can yield 2,500 Atom chips, compared to 600 Core chips.
From Centrino Atom to Atom
The first branding for the Atom line was Centrino Atom, but it was dropped for just plain Atom within a few months of its introduction.
Atom System-On-Chips
Code named Medfield in 2012, Intel introduced its Atom-based system-on-chip (SoC) platform for mobile devices. Current SoC brands are Atom C for server appliances and Atom x5 and x7 for tablets. Future updates (code named Broxton and SoFIA) of its x3 smartphone chips were cancelled in 2016 (ARM processors are dominant in the mobile arena). See
SoC,
ARM and
x86.