![[HOT vs. COOL]](thermal3.jpg)
Low Power
Mobile computing makes very different demands on processors than desktop computing, yet up until now, mobile x86 platforms have simply made do with the same old processors originally designed for desktops. Those processors consume lots of power, and they get very hot.
When you're on the go, a power-hungry processor means you have to pay a price: run out of power before you've finished, run more slowly and lose application performance, or run through the airport with pounds of extra batteries. A hot processor also needs fans to cool it, making the resulting mobile computer bigger, clunkier and noisier.
Crusoe processors, on the other hand, have been designed from the start for mobile applications. Our unique Code Morphing technology has allowed us to drastically reduce the processor's power consumption without sacrificing performance. The Crusoe processor's low power usage even includes the power for integrated support circuitry (called the "Northbridge" in the PC industry); conventional processors need a separate chip that uses additional power.
The thermal images of chips below contrast the operating temperatures of a Crusoe processor and a conventional "mobile" processor, running a software DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player. The model TM5400, without any cooling, runs at 48° C (118° F), whereas the conventional processor, at 105° C (221° F), can heat to the point of failure if it is not aggressively cooled. Which of these two chips would you rather hold on your lap?
Consider how this difference in power dissipation affects a mobile computer's battery life.
Starting with an already remarkably low-power processor, the LongRun technology in the model TM5400 Crusoe processor takes our low-power philosophy a step further. When an application doesn't need peak processor performance, the model TM5400 can save power by reducing its clock speed and voltage. Using Transmeta's LongRun power management technology, software continuously monitors the demands on the processor, dynamically and smoothly adjusting the processor's speed to exactly what is needed to run the application - no more and no less, no wasted power, no wasted battery life.
With LongRun power management, saving 30 percent power only requires slowing the processor by a mere 10 percent. Processors without LongRun technology would have to sacrifice a full 30 percent of their performance to achieve the same effect.