Intel will start shipping its high-performance Atom smartphone chip with 3D transistors to device makers later this year, who will then test the chip for use in handsets. The Atom chip, code-named Merrifield, will improve performance and battery life on smartphones over Intel's existing handset chips, a spokesman for the company said. The chip has been redesigned from the ground up, and the new architecture is designed to make the chip faster and more power-efficient.