It’s no more a secret that Intel has missed out on the explosive growth in wearable devices by many companies. It is also no big secret that declining PC sales are weighing heavily on the company’s future prospects. However, Intel has announced that its Quark microprocessors, which are its first foray into the tiny chip system, and SoCs, have now retired.
Last weekend, Intel announced that 13 quark chips, including SoC, processor, and micro-control, will be retired from July 18, 2019. The final shipping date is July 17, 2022. In 2013, Intel introduced the Quark processor to grab the market for smart wear and the Internet of Things with ARM chips. The very first product in the Quark line was the single-core 32 nm X1000 SoC with a remarkable clock rate of up to 400 MHz. This was a compact version of the single-core X86.
Intel announced last week that the Quark processor and micro-control chips are retired. Quaker chips have been retired for up to three years compared to the expiring period of a typical processor for a year or so. After all, these chips are mainly used in industrial, embedded, and other industries. The support period of such products is also very long.
The world is becoming more connected daily, and WiFi integrates into our online lives even more. Everything from the Nest thermostat to WiFi-enabled refrigerators to contain SoCs, allowing us to access them remotely or use them in ways and for devices that we have never imagined before.
The company hasn’t shared any explanation for why it is discontinuing the processors as mentioned above. This seems clear that the fate of the Quark processor has been doomed with the fever of the smart wearable market.
