Transmeta developing processor that uses less than 1W

The new design represents a new strategic turn for Transmeta. After the company tried unsuccessfully for years to compete against Intel by designing chips for the laptop computer business, Transmeta ended its work on new general-purpose designs and moved into consulting.

But now it is evident that one consulting project involved creating a new microprocessor.

At a demonstration of the new chip Tuesday night, it ran ``Quake 2,'' a PC game by id Software. At 700 megahertz, the chip consumed less than 1 watt, a level of power efficiency appropriate for a handheld device that needs to run on batteries for around four hours.