Wednesday was Intel's annual kickoff conference, where this time, they announced something itty bitty and declared it “dark and hot”. Quark, their new SoC series, will be a new dimension of low-power processors. By far the smallest SoC ever built by Intel, measuring a mere 14 nm; also known as one-fifth the size and one-tenth the power of their current Atom processor. Dubbed Quark X1000, Intel plans on “leading every segment of computing”. Big words, aren't they? With the Atom project, Intel had it’s eye on the smart phone and tablet prize. However. as far as wearables go and the company's plan to jump head-first into the game, CEO Brian Krzanich already showed off a prototype digital bracelet that Intel constructed. This of course, was to encourage their drive towards a wearable evolution. Yep, it sure is time to move on. “The smallest thing we've ever built”, noted Krzanich, will soon be necessary for countless applications that will require these tiny calculating engines.

It’s true the company has yet to release any pricing information, but that's okay. After all, with the expectations from Quark to provide a budget-friendly alternative for smart wearables, and with the smart device market growing exponentially and constantly, we could sure go for a very affordable piece of machinery. Other applications for use of Quark could extend as far as identification chips, skin patches, and even ingested medical devices for scientific research or medical data.

Extra points added for it’s capability to be fully synthesizable, where other entities will be able to add their own function blocks (or IP) to the Quark chip and head straight to Intel for manufacturing. Very neat idea to allow designs to be sold, tweaked and added to; very different from Intel’s take-it-or-leave-it stance with their Atom chip. Also quite different from ARM, who does not make processors, but rather distributes designs and instructions for them, then third parties will gladly customize to their liking. Is this not quite different than the traditional microchip industry approach? Sure, other companies have offered designs and fabrication services, yet Intel has a way to gain it’s riches. A fully united company that sells Intel-designed chips built on their own assembly line. It could be a new level for Intel to bring computing and communications to so many applications you cant count. Just think: from light switches to transportation systems. Lastly, Intel’s betting on good profit margin is not only because of all of the above, but due to advances in their production processes the size and cost of the transistors on the Quark will dramatically reduce. The statement that their “strategy will lead in every segment of computing” may be a bold one, but it’s built with strong foundation.