Intel explains how the new CPUs can use 7 watts of power, sort of.

If you were reading our CES coverage last week, you'll know that among other things Intel introduced a handful of new, lower-power Y-series Ivy Bridge CPUs designed to fit into thinner and lighter Ultrabooks and tablets. The slides in Intel's keynote called these "7 watt" Ivy Bridge CPUs, and the company compared them directly to the 17 watt U-series chips in wide use today.

After talking to some Intel reps and doing some sleuthing of our own, we found the direct comparison wasn't quite warranted. The actual thermal design power (TDP) of those processors was in fact 13 watts—still lower than before, but less miraculous than had previously been implied. A new measurement, scenario design power (SDP), was actually being used to achieve that 7 watt figure.

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