While Intel Corp.’s next-generation mobile central processing units (CPUs) code-named Yonah with two processing engines are projected to deliver higher performance compared to today’s mobile chips, their power consumption is claimed to rise dramatically and become nearly two times higher compared to today’s top-performing mobile chip.

A report over CNET News.com web-site claims that Yonah processors will come in different classes: E, T, L and U. The E-class processors are expected to consume over 50W and to be aimed at gamers as well as desktop replacement notebooks. The T-class Yonah chips will, according to the web-site, have maximum power consumption of between 25W and 49W and will be intended for mainstream mobile computers. The L- and U-series chips will devour up to 24W and 14W of power respectively and are projected to be intended for thin and light laptops. 

The web-site declares 27W power consumption for current Intel Pentium M processors based on Dothan core, though, 27W is thermal design power, which neither is maximum power consumption, nor is the maximum theoretical amount of power a CPU can dissipate, according to Intel Corp.’s documents.

Earlier some sources noted that Yonah processors will keep its second core suspended when on battery mode, thus, prolonging battery life. But chips with higher thermal dissipation in general require more advanced cooling systems, which will make laptops harder to carry.

Intel Yonah processor is a yet another derivative of the so-called Banias architecture, which inherits many peculiarities of the P6 architecture. Yonah will have two processing engines and will be produced using 65nm process technology late this year with commercial availability scheduled for Q1 2006. The target clock-rate for Yonah processor is 2.17GHz, while the chip’s processor system bus will clock at 667MHz. Intel also plans single-core Yonah flavours.

Intel representatives did not comment on the news-story.