Intel hits 50 years and its CPUs hit 5.0 GHz

Next month, Intel turns 50 years old. But today, the company central processing units are hitting 5.0 GHz. That’s a pretty big milestone for the company, which made the announcement at the Computex event in Taipei, Taiwan.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the x86 processor architecture, Intel is introducing the limited edition 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8086K processor, the first-ever CPU with a 5.0GHz turbo frequency, said Intel’s Gregory Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group, in a blog post.

Intel, of course, is the world’s biggest chip maker, and its fortunes are wedded to the success of the personal computer.

“As we transition to the data-centric era, the PC remains a critical facet of Intel’s business, and it’s an area where we believe there are still so many opportunities ahead,” Bryant said. “Today, at Computex in Taipei, I shared our vision for the future of the PC and introduced a wide range of new technologies that will help us and the broader ecosystem make this future a reality. One that transforms the PC from a simple computer into a platform that can power every person’s greatest contribution.”

When people need to get things done, 80 percent of people go to the PC, according to a survey by GIA Tech Attitudes. (Naturally, Bryant was all over this survey.) At the same time, we are more distracted than ever. Data shows that on average people are interrupted every three minutes.

To help people get more things done, Intel said it aims to innovate the PC around five key vectors: performance, connectivity, battery life, adaptability, and intelligence.

Bryant said you can expect more than 70 new laptops and 2-in-1s from computer makers starting this fall. Those machines will use the Whiskey Lake U-series and Amber Lake Y-series versions of the 8th Gen Intel Core processor family. For desktops, Intel promises a new X-series release and the next-gen Intel Core S-series processor by the end of 2018.

Sprint is now joining Intel as a partner to sell Intel-based, 5G-connected PCs in stores around the world. And in 2019, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft plan to release what the chip maker calls the industry’s first 5G-connected laptops and 2-in-1s.

“As we pave the way for 5G, expect us to deliver 10 more 4G-connected PCs from partners like Acer, Asus, Dell and HP — on top of the 25 currently in market,” Bryant said. “These always-connected PCs are not only sleek and beautiful, but packed with performance.”

The company also unveiled the Intel Low Power Display Technology, featured in a one-watt panel manufactured by Sharp and Innolux, which can cut LCD power consumption by half.

Additionally, Asus joined Bryant on stage at Computex to showcase a new concept PC called Project Precog, featuring a dual-screen form factor and a full set of intelligent features. Asus also showed off the ZenBook, which allows developers to take advantage of the low-power Intel Movidius VPU to create new AI-centric features for both existing and new applications.