Intel launched its highly-anticipated 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge processors today. However, while the initial launch of quad-core processors in the Core i5 and Core i7 families for desktop and full-sized laptops will start immediately, dual-core chips and low-power chips for thin, ultrabook-style computers won't be available until later this spring, the company revealed. Ivy Bridge marks the shift from 32-nanometer to 22-nanometer transistor technology, with the smaller size bringing enhanced efficiency and more computational power — "about 20 percent more processor performance using 20 percent less average power," Intel's PC business chief Kirk Skaugen told the BBC. The new chips also feature "3D" Tri-Gate transistors that add vertical silicon fins to reduce energy leakage. While the launch of Intel's new processors has seen some delays related to the new 22-nanometer manufacturing process, the company is hoping to make more of the chips available right at launch, with 50 percent more units available in the first six months after launch than with last year's rollout of the Sandy Bridge architecture.