With NVIDIA Corp.'s (NVDA) Tegra 3 and Qualcomm, Inc.'s (QCOM) Snapdragon 4 packing four lightweight cores, Intel Corp. (INTC) is looking to step up with a mobile quad-core of its own, likely to counter the next generation Tegra 4/Snapdragon 5.

German hardware site ComputerBase.de has dug up an Intel document using Baidu Group Comp., Ltd.'s (SHA:600865) site.  That document reveals plans for Intel's ValleyView system-on-a-chip, which will use the new 22 nm Silvermont architecture.

Intel is also working with UK based Imagination Technologies Group plc. (LON:IMG) to pack in a power on-die integrated GPU, which will reportedly rival that found on a Intel Atom E600 -- seven times the performance of the GPU found in current generation Medfield chips.

The SoC will boast a built in image decoder (courtesy of Imagination Tech.), a camera interface, and support for DDR3L-1066 or 1333 memory.  Also included will be a VGA/HDMI display controller, SATA 2, and USB 2.0/3.0 support.

In short, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, et al. better be on top of their game come 2013, because in the H2 2013, Intel is set to unleash one lean mean quad-core mobile chip upon the smartphone and tablet market.

_{[Image Source: ComputerBase.de]}