The Intel Atom is the ultimate solution to XScale and ULV CPUs shortcomings. Atom is the combination of the size of XScale's and cooling of the ULV's power and x86 architecture. It gives the x86 and the x86-64, which means it not only runs old 32-bit OS and software’s, but the 64-bit versions also. It offers features which have only seen previously on full-fledged CPUs, such as SSE3 and hyperthreading. As the Atom is concentrate only on UMPCs, additional instructions will help in multimedia and gaming.

Though it sounds very promising but lacks in certain criteria in comparison with other architectures such as the ARM because of the die space needed for the x86-decoding. The x86 features make the Atom a very good CPU for mobile devices, not as well as ARM processor.

In Atom next is its size. Through the CPUs are smaller in size compared to the PC, but the Atom is really very small in size. You can see it the above image where it is compared with a penny. From that image you can imagine how small it is. Small size makes integration much easier in the tiny devices. Smaller size also means less material required in every CPU, which in turn help reducing the cost of production. It will be around half the prize in comparison to its competitor’s products. The biggest benefit of the Atom CPU is the heat output. The ULV CPUs made only 10 watts of power. The Atom promises to make only around 0.01W and 2.5W power. And that makes the a heatsink optional.