This week, Intel proposed a modular PC design engineered for laptops and mini-PCs that feels like a sketch of what future laptops could be.
Published by Intel researchers on the company's blog, the modular laptop concept envisions what laptops and mini-PCs could look like with standardized sizes for mobile motherboards and IO ports for fan-less, single-fan, and dual-fan laptops.
Roberta Zouain, Intel's Sustainability Product Strategy and Marketing Manager; Reshma PP, Director of System Design; and Gurpreet Sandhu, Vice President of the Platform Engineering Group, are behind the concept.
This new approach from Intel has one key differentiator: It's open-source.
The researchers' driving focus, they write, is sustainable laptop production, which goes hand in hand with the right-to-repair movement. This movement enables users to repair and upgrade their machines without being penalized by technology companies through restrictions on getting components or tools to make the repairs.
While modular laptop concepts aren't new — Framework has been making modular laptops for years, and Asus will soon release ROG Strix Scar 16 and 18 laptops — this new approach from Intel has one key differentiator: It's open source, meaning anyone can use the research materials to make their own laptops and PCs.
What is Intel's Modular PC paper about?
Intel's modular design would separate the existing laptop motherboard from an all-in-one solution into a three-segment design with the motherboard and SoC (system-on-a-chip) separate from the IO ports. This would allow for an easier repair and upgrade process.
"This innovative structure allows for targeted upgrades, repairs, and replacements, significantly extending the device's lifespan and reducing electronic waste."
Intel researchers on their modular laptop concept
Intel's proposal reads, in part, "Modular PC architecture breaks from the traditional all-in-one motherboard design, opting instead for a system where key components are categorized into individual, interchangeable modules.
This innovative structure allows for targeted upgrades, repairs, and replacements, significantly extending the device's lifespan and reducing electronic waste."
Intel also proposed a modular mini-PC design, separating the components into standardized modules, similar to the proposed laptop design.
As the Intel blog purports, the purpose of all this is to "significantly extend the usable life of computing devices, thereby reducing electronic waste and promoting a more sustainable consumption model.
"By working closely with our customers and partners, we hope to transform the way PCs are designed and help shape the future of computing."
What makes Intel's proposal different from existing modular laptops like Framework?
For the last couple of generations of Framework designs, like the Framework Laptop 16 in 2023, the company has even created swappable motherboards and replaceable displays to repair or upgrade the laptop.
However, Framework is just one company. Intel's design plan attempts to open-source modular laptop and mini-PC designs.
The pro proposal is more like the desktop format approach. In contrast, PC-building enthusiasts can choose parts from different manufacturers and put them in the same PC thanks to format standardizations like ATX, DTX, Micro ATX, and Mini ITX.
Intel pioneered the ATX and Micro ATX motherboard and power supply formats. However, companies like IBM, SSI, VIA, and AMD created many standardized motherboard form factors.
When could we see modular laptops and mini PCs take over?
In contrast to other modular laptop implementations, Intel's proposal is more of an open-source solution. Intel doesn't manufacture devices, just some PC components. So this design would need to be adopted by Intel's laptop and mini-PC partners.
That means it could be a while before we see manufacturers like Dell, Asus, or Lenovo utilizing Intel's modular motherboard and I/O designs to create modular laptops and mini-PCs.
Considering the time it takes to engineer and build new laptops and mini-PCs, the earliest we could expect to see parts of this modular concept would be about a year.
Given Intel Co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus's confirmation at CES that "Panther Lake" is already in testing, we might see modular laptops and mini-PCs built with a mobile variant of that SoC. But only time will tell.
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