Intel Project Athena

Project Athena is a long-term program which is designed to plan development perspectives for all ecosystem of the PC and to raise a bar of innovations for notebooks. A project objective – to prepare modern notebooks which help people to focus on the tasks allow them to be always fully equipped and help in them ezhednevnkh tasks – since work and study, finishing with family affairs, fascinating personal projects, entertainments and many other.

2020: The announcement of the Intel Evo brand for the notebooks verified within Intel Project Athena

On September 2, 2020 during the global presentation Intel provided a brand Intel Evo for notebooks, developed and verified within the innovation Intel Project Athena program. The models created within this platform are equipped processors Intel Core with i7 or i5 of the 11th generation with graphics of Intel Iris Xe, have the interface of wire connection Thunderbolt 4 and the built-in wireless adapter Intel Wi-Fi of 6 (Gig+). In more detail here.

2019: Submission of the Project Athena program

On May 28, 2019 the company Intel disclosed additional details of the program of innovations in area notebooks which is implemented by 'Project Athena' code-named. Besides, the corporation published the version of target specifications (1.0 target specification1) for the first wave of modern notebooks which will appear in the market in 2019 on operating systems Windows and Chrome.

The program provides:

• the indicators of improvement of the user experience which received the name of key indicators of the user experience (KEI) which are defined by models of real use;
• annual the publication of specifications with transfer of requirements to platforms;
• large-scale support of joint design and the innovative developments;
• cooperation within an ecosystem for the purpose of acceleration of development of components, their optimization and increase in their availability;
• complex process of verification for the notebooks released within Project Athena.

Key indicators of the user experience

Relying on results of a research of normal real day of users of the notebook of the house and at work, Intel created the whole system of engineering metrics, so-called "key indicators of experience" which will act as the tool for formation of consumer experience in addition to standard testing tools of performance. Intel is going to develop and to annually represent the updated indicators of KEI.

What is represented by key indicators of the user experience?

Key indicators of the user experience are the engineering metrics selected from positions of the user and having a noticeable impact on the user experience.

Better to reflect possibilities of notebooks without additional settings, indicators of KEI are estimated on OEM devices with standard default settings and at accomplishment of standard background tasks and the started applications. Systems are estimated both in the mode of independent operation, and during the work from network. The first target indicators are the main for the most widespread workloads and number other include:

• equally high responsiveness during the work from the accumulator;
• 16 and more hours of independent operation at video playback from a local source and 9 or more hours of independent operation at accomplishment of standard tasks in the conditions of the real world;
• possibility of instant return to operating condition, including system exit from a dream less than in 1 second.

Intel will check the offered devices for compliance to target indicators of KEI, using a special packet of tools of assessment on the minimum set of tasks. Workloads in these tools estimate the level of responsiveness and performance, their stability and also battery life on the most widespread tasks, for example, at web browsing or viewing a streaming video with simultaneous use of office applications and utilities. During process of verification of the device should correspond to target indicators of KEI.

Target specifications 1.0

Target specifications of version 1.0 are a basis for development of innovations which are expected from the Project Athena program in the future and include six key spheres for innovations. Among the key moments:

# Мгновенная availability: the modern Connected Standby functions ("a standby mode with connection") and Lucid Sleep ("light sleep") provide fast awakening during the opening of a cover, the key press or operation of the scanner of a fingerprint.

1. Performance and responsiveness: systems based on processors Intel Core i5 or i7 with Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology technology, 8GB DRAM of memory in the two-channel mode and NVMe SSD- the drive capacity more 265gb with optional memory Intel Optane of memory H10.
2. Intelligence: Such functions as voice services in a distant field and support of OpenVINO and WinML. Future models constructed based on the Intel processors Core of the 10th generation provide large-scale support of artificial intelligence on the notebook due to Intel Deep Learning Boost technology which provides a 2.5-fold gain of performance in problems of artificial intelligence.
3. Battery life: A possibility of fast recharge through USB Type C port, integration and optimization of components with low power consumption, the joint efforts directed to increase in energy efficiency.
4. Connection to network: Fast and permanent connection to network using the adapter of Intel Wi-Fi of 6 (Gig+) and optional support of Gigabit LTE. A connectivity to billions of USB Type C devices through Thunderbolt 3.
5. Form factor: The touch screen, high-precision touchpads and many other things in the thin and easy device or in the device "two in one" with a thin frame of the screen for creation of more immersive user experience.