Originally Posted By Brooke Crothers, CNET

Intel’s Clover Trail silicon will be the first major push by the chipmaker for Windows 8 tablets, CNET has learned.

Clover Trail is an Atom chip slated for the second half of the year, about the same time frame that Windows 8 is due, a source familiar with Intel’s plans told CNET.

Clover Trail is a follow-on to Medfield–due in the second quarter–which is aimed primarily at smartphones. While the Medfield chip will undoubtedly be used in some tablets, it is a single-core design, while Clover Trail will also be offered in dual-core versions, making it more attractive for tablet makers, according to sources.

And Intel is expected to show off–either publicly or privately–Clover Trail-based prototype tablets running on Windows 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) later this month.