Intel’s Ivy Bridge chips could soon get a lot less power hungry

Intel’s quest for greater processor energy efficiency could soon extend to its Ivy Bridge chips.

CNET reports that Intel is looking to slash the power consumption of its latest processors, even as it’s developing its next generation 10-watt Haswell chips.

While the Ivy Bridge chips are currently rated at a pretty efficient 17 watts, Intel could shave that consumption even further, making the processor a far more compelling choice for mobile devices.

The report makes a lot of sense seeing as how Microsoft already uses an Ivy Bridge processor in the Surface Pro. But while Ivy Bridge ups the Surface Pro’s processing power, it also slashes its battery life: Microsoft estimates that the Surface Pro will stay alive roughly half as long as its ARM processor-equipped counterpart.

And that’s exactly why today’s report is such a big deal.

Cutting the power consumption of its processors means Intel’s products automatically become more attractive for manufacturers looking to improve their devices’ battery life. And seeing as Intel is still largely floundering in the mobile market, any attempt to get into more devices is a big deal for the future of the company.