Intel announces Vpro and Xeon E3 Sandy Bridge chips

CHIPMAKER Intel has announced its Vpro Core i5 and i7 and Xeon E3 processors that use the Sandy Bridge architecture and are designed to support virtualisation and cloud computing.

The first Vpro powered products from vendors like Dell, Fujitsu, HP and Lenovo are expected within the next month, Intel told The INQUIRER.

Comparing the Vpro Core i5 to a three-year old Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Chipzilla claims that the Sandy bridge chip will speed up business applications by 60 per cent, multi-tasking by 100 per cent and data encryption by 300 per cent. The chipmaker claims these performance improvements are achieved with the help of its Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX). The chips also have Intel's Active Management Technology 7.0.

Intel also announced which laptop manufacturers will use Vpro. It said, "Dell, Fujitsu, HP and Lenovo, are introducing new laptop, convertible-tablet, desktop and all-in-one PCs for businesses based on the new Intel Core vPro processors."

The Vpro chips also mean Intel can offer its Host-Based Configuration feature that it says "completely automates the process of setting up the vPro functions on new computers".

For remote access, Intel also claims that with Sandy Bridge screens will be presented to the technician accessing the computer showing what is displayed in "higher resolutions to accommodate HD video and screen sizes".

Like other Intel products it will also be possible to shut down the Vpro powered computers with a "poison pill" message sent to a lost unit. µ