Ivy Bridge U-Series TDP specs changed

It would appear that Intel are unable to meet the target supplies for the Ultra-Low Power version of it's Ivy Bridge processors, due in April. An article published on December 29 at VR-Zone indicates that as a result the specs for the U-Series processor TDP have been adjusted, in order to increase the available yield.

The nominal TDP remains unchanged at 17W, and the highest configurable TDP is still 25W. The lowest configurable TDP and low frequency mode TDP have, however, been increased from 13W to 14W. The low power mode TDP is increased from 11W to 12.5W.

These changes are minimal for most users, and many won't notice the difference. In some designs, however, a complete redesign of the cooling system may be required, potentially adding a large premium to some product costs. Although only speculation, it seems likely that when binning chips to be picked as U-Series chips, the supply was not high enough. Some chips that didn't quite meet the low power requirements are having to meet some of the demand, and so the specs were changed.

The Ivy Bridge Ultrabook platform is currently due for release in May, giving system designers a few months to redesign their products and get them ready for market.