Intel unveils Atom chip for smartphones

Helsinki: Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company, unveiled a new version of its Atom platform, promising lower power consumption, cheaper cost and smaller size to better target smartphones.

"Intel has delivered its first product that is opening the door ... in the smartphone market segment," Anand Chandrasekher, general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Intel aims to stake out a corner in the wireless market, replicating what it did for the netbook category it now almost completely dominates.

But analysts point to an uphill battle against Nvidia Corp, Marvell and Qualcomm Inc, already making headway with cheaper, low-power processors based on designs by ARM Holdings.