Intel Corporation said Friday it would discontinue a bunch of desktop and mobile microprocessors made using 130nm process technology. The move’s motives are unclear, but it believed that the company may suspend production the older microprocessors in favour of the new chips made using 90nm fabrication process.

The list of mobile processors to be axed includes Intel Mobile Pentium 4 chips at 2.80GHz, 3.06GHz in addition 3.20GHz with 533MHz processor system bus and with or without Hyper-Threading technology. Additionally, the company said it would discontinue Mobile Pentium 4-M processors at 2.20GHz, 2.40GHz, 2.50GHz and 2.60GHz along with the Mobile Celeron chips at 2.20GHz, 2.40GHz and 2.50GHz as well as Intel Celeron M 1.20GHz and Intel Pentium M 1.0GHz ULV.

In addition to mobile products, Intel Pentium 4 2.40GHz and 2.60GHz with 800MHz Quad Pumped Bus and HT technology will be canned.

The last date to place orders on the mentioned chips is November 19, 2004.

Intel recently introduced a broad family of microprocessors made using 90nm process technology that are able to replace the 130nm offerings: the 90nm chips are said to be a bit less expensive to make compared to products fabricated at thicker manufacturing technology.

Intel said in mid-May, 2004, that shipments of its 90nm Pentium 4 chips had increased 1 million units per week by late April, which is on-track with the company’s expectations to ramp up volume production of its 90nm products in shortest time possible.

An Intel representative was not immediately available for comment.