Rumors about 45 nm Core 2 Duo production begin to fly

Chicago (IL) - Intel is gearing up for its next-generation micro-processors. And we hear that Intel may be much closer to be releasing its 45 nm processors, code-named "Penrym", to production than we previously thought : Expect reviews and benchmarks of Penryn to surface early in Q3 of this year.

Official information about general availability of Intel’s 45 nm processor remain scarce. As of now, Intel says that the 45 nm "Penryn" family, which will bring a new generation of desktop and mobile Core 2 Duo and Xeon processors, is slated for a late 2007 introduction.

However, industry sources recently told TG Daily that a whole bunch of non disclosure agreements (NDAs) for the pre-release and distribution of 45 nm processors are already in place and carry a July 15 expiration date. "Pre-release", of course, does not mean that Intel will launch the processor at this time ; however, we received confirmation from our sources that initial sample shipments of Penryn are scheduled to begin late in Q2 and early Q3. We also expect the NDAs also to apply to the press, which means that first real-world Penryn benchmarks are likely to be published on July 15.

If the NDA date is correct, Intel can build up the interest in its next-generation products, but potentially could jeopardize the sales of its FSB1333 desktop Core 2 Duos, which are expected to be released early in Q3, as well as the FSB800 mobile Core 2 Duos , which will launch in the first half of May. On the positive side, the pre-release appears to be very much in line with the launch date of its Opteron quad-core processor "Barcelona" .