According to a very brief report on Digitimes, the Intel Pine Trail platform could arrive as soon as October.  You might remember our first look at the Pine Trail technology last month; Intel is essentially updating the Atom processor to including an on-die memory controller and graphics core. 

Intel Pine Trail could arrive as quickly as October - Processors 2

We are stilling trying to decipher how much performance gain the Atom platform will derive from this architectural shift and how much of a problem this move will present to people like NVIDIA, whose ION chipset will be a less appealing option to system builders.  By integrating graphics and memory onto the Atom core, Intel is basically relegating the chipset to the same lowered importance as we have seen on the AMD systems and new Nehalem systems.  For sure, NVIDIA needs to hit on the ION while the iron is still warm!

Intel is scheduled to phase out its Atom N270 CPU by launching its successor – the Atom N450 – for netbooks in October at the earliest, according to industry sources.

Codenamed Pine Trail, Intel’s 45nm Atom N450 will be a single-core CPU with built-in northbridge functions, and will be paired with the new NM10 (Tiger Point) chipset.

Intel will issue last order notice for the Atom N270 in the first quarter of 2010 and the CPU will phase out before the end of the first half next year.