Intel announced the launch of a new low-voltage processor series called Quad-Core Intel Xeon L5400 for servers and workstations that run at 50 watts, or just 12.5 watts per core and frequencies as high as GHz. The Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor L5400 Series takes advantage of Intel's  45nm manufacturing capabilities.

According to the chip maker, compared to previous generations, the new L5400 presents a 24% increase in speed and a 50% increase in cache. The new elements of the series are the L5420 and L5410 processors. The first runs at 2.50GHz and the latter at 2.33GHz; both have a 1333MHz FSB speed.

All the major vendors, such as Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Gigabyte, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Microstar, NEC, Quanta, Rackable, Supermicro, Tyan and Verari, have already their support for Intel’s new products. For 1,000-unit quantities, the prices will be of $380 for the L5420 and of $320 for the L5410.

Both processors correspond quite well to present environmentally friendly trends of energy efficiency and low production and operational costs. They operate with 50W of power.

Next quarter, Intel will also begin shipping a new dual-core low-voltage processor that will boast a 40-watt rating and clock speed of 3 GHz, with a 6 MB cache size and a 1333 MHz FSB. Intel is also extending the existing Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series for embedded market segments by offering the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor L5410 with support for a 7-year life cycle.