Android tablets with Intel Atom Bay Trail processor may hit the global market, including UK, in Q2 2014 according to the company’s top executive, Brian Krzanich. Until now, Intel’s low-power 64-bit processors are limited to only Windows 8.1 models. The company has demonstrated the 64-bit processor for Android on November last year.
The Intel Atom architecture already has 64-capability for years, which is needed in standard PC environments. But the new Bay Trail 64-bit model is designed specifically for tablets. Apple has grabbed the pole position with its A7 b4-bit chip, which is currently used on the Retina iPad Mini and iPad Air. The technology provides improvements both to performance level and security.
However, due to driver issues, current Bay Trail tablets still run 32-bit Windows 8.1 OS. The company will remedy this situation in a few months, allowing tablet users to benefit from the 64-bit capability. The Android OS itself already inherits the 64-bit computing from the Linux, but due to ARM architecture limitations, current Android tablets still run 32-bit OS.
The chip maker is seeking to compensate for the weakening sales of PC processor and the new Bay Trail 64-bit chip for Android could help it compete against the likes of Qualcomm and Nvidia.