With an aim to increase the number of Internet users, Intel Corporation on Thursday launched 'cheap but quality' Intel Atom processor, priced at Rs 12,000 across Tamil Nadu.

Prashanth Adiraju, director-Atom, business development, told reporters in Madurai that the launching of the processor was part of their initiative to get more first-time users to experience the benefit of computing.

"The moderately priced high quality processor, in the size of a fifty paise coin, has been introduced to help Indians, whose average income was just Rs 100,000 a year," he added.

He expressed his hope that the new class of simple and affordable computers, internet-centric mobile computing devices (notebooks) and basic internet centric desktop PCs (nettops) would grow substantially. "The IAP is perfectly suited for the market," he added.

The IAP was based on an entirely new micro architecture designed specifically for small devices and low power.