A few days ago Intel announced its reference design platforms for Android and its hardware partners. Today they detail the guidelines for thin and fanless systems with Core M chips inside.
Those chips were also announced a IDF 2014, like the reference designs. The Core M CPU is a lower power high performance chip, meant for thin and light computers. The idea is to keep them fanless and that’s because the chipset has a low wattage and low heat. There are at least 8 portable computers with Intel Core M chips in the making this year and early benchmarks have shown real power inside. There are still some general guidelines to follow when building the products and they’ve shown in these images.
In order to achieve a slim and lightweight system without a fan, you need a small motherboard, a thin display panel and other smaller components. Parts will also have to be smaller than on other laptops and Intel wants the materials used to avoid heat buildup. One idea is to place the hottest components in an area where they won’t be touched, like the center of the tablet.
In the end these guidelines will generate 2 in 1 fanless systems with 9 mm thickness and weight less than 1.4 pounds, for a 12.5 inch portable at least.
