X-bit labs is reporting that Intel has designed their first quad core mobile chip. This core, code-named Santa Rosa, will be based off of Intel's next-generation core marchitecture. It will be the successor to the Merom core, which will be the first mobile processor based on ICM. It is believed that these chips will be ready by Q2 2007.

Though nothing is known about the design of the quad core chips, it is most likely going to follow suit with the already-finished quad core Kentsfield chip. These chips are simple two dual core dies that are placed on the same chip package as opposed to a true quad-core die.

These chips will also bump the system bus up to 800MHz, up from the current 667MHz bus. As we reported earlier, the comparatively low 667MHz bus was simply a limit of the Pentium M marchitecture, but the nature of the ICM design will remove this problem from the Santa Rosa and Merom cores.

As a side note; Battery life should remain as impressive as it has been on Intel chips since the Pentium 4 Mobile was canned. Having experienced first hand the longevity of the current dual-core 65nm chips that Intel produces, these next generation chips, even with four cores, should still last quite a while on one charge.

X-bit labs