Intel Atom powers 1,000 mph car

Intel’s Atom processor can be found inside everything from netbooks to smartphones. But now 7 of the ubiquitous chips have been spotted inside the Bloodhound SSC, a jet and rocket-powered supersonic car expected to break the 1,000 mph barrier.

Indeed, at the heart of the Bloodhound design are Atom-powered advanced engine controls and driver information displays that provide vital information to the driver about the condition of vehicle and performance.


According to the Bloodhound Project, a constant flow of information is required to safely the navigate the vehicle, as drivers are expected to run through a wide speed range while keeping the same load on all four wheels.

“The little winglets above the wheels are fully dynamic trimmers making small adjustments in fractions of a second.

“They are not there to develop massive download as needed for a wheel-driven circuit-racing car, but simply to maintain constant wheel load up to Mach 1.4. The Jet will provide that degree of control.”

Additional Bloodhound specs include:

  • 
Wheelbase – 8.9 meters
  • Overall length – 12.8 meters
  • Car mass – 6,422 kg
  • Turning circle – 120 meters
  • Maximum height – 2808 mm
  • Fuel capacity – 500 liters
  • Thrust EJ200 – 20,000 lbs
  • Thrust rocket – 25,000 lbs