Intel will focus on its next generation of smaller and faster chips at a conference this month as it prepares to ship new chips for systems in 2010.

Intel plans to shed more light on the Westmere architecture at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), which will be held in San Francisco. The company is expected to talk about the architecture behind its future chips for servers, laptops and desktops.

Chips based on Westmere will be made using the advanced 32-nanometer process and should deliver performance and power benefits over existing Intel chips made using the 45-nm process Initial chips will integrate a CPU and graphics processor in a single package, which could improve graphics performance while drawing less power.

A server zone at IDF will focus on the Westmere-EP platform, where performance of server chips based on the new architecture will be highlighted. The company is expected to talk about many chip features, including security capabilities, and could show off systems at the show.

The first Westmere chips will go into laptops and desktops as early of 2010. Initial Westmere chips will be dual-core CPUs with 4MB of cache, and will include an integrated memory controller. Clock speeds could remain similar to existing processors, but performance could see a boost by running two threads on each core, Intel officials have said.

Initial Westmerebased laptop chips, code-named Arrandale, could preserve battery life while improving graphics performance. The desktop chips are code-named Clarkdale. The chips may go into production in the fourth quarter this year, though samples have already shipped to laptop and desktop PC makers for testing.

The Westmere architecture is the basis of some of Intel's future laptop and desktop chips, including the Core i3, is and 7 chips.