Intel this week announced a new family of microprocessors that it says will double the performance of new computers over many of those currently in use.

The Skylake family of microprocessors was developed at Intel's Haifa research and development lab, local company officials said.

Shlomit Weiss, Vice President of Intel's Platform Engineering Group, said in a statement that Skylake is “a game changer that has capabilities that we couldn't even imagine a few years ago." 

"When I was told about what the team had done, I expected a good product, but what I saw was truly impressive.”

According to Intel, there are over 500 million computers in use today that are four to five years old or older. They are slow to wake, their batteries don't last long, and they can't take advantage of all the new experiences available today - unlike the computers with Skylake processors, which will be able to take advantage of the latest improvements in software and connect to many new devices that enhance gaming, video viewing, and even virtual reality experiences.

Built on the new Skylake micro-architecture on Intel's14nm manufacturing process technology, the new Intel Core processors – the company's sixth generation processors - deliver up to two and a half times better performance, triple the battery life, and graphics that are 30 times better for seamless and smooth gaming and video experiences versus the average 5-year-old computer.

The processors are so light and thin and stuff so many features onto the small chip that computers using Skylake can be half as thin and half the weight, have faster wake up time, and battery life that lasts virtually all day.

Skylake is not just a processor for desktop or laptop computers, but for tablets and other devices as well, the company said.

In addition, the platform will offer a variety of new features and experiences, connecting with more devices featuring Thunderbolt 3 for USB Type-C, enabling one compact port that does it all.

A user-facing or world-facing Intel RealSense Camera, enabling 3D and virtual reality experiences, will be available on a range of new systems. With the system, new depth-sensing capabilities and immersive experiences will be available to allow people to do things like take and share lifelike 3-D selfies, scan objects and print in 3-D, and easily remove and change their background during a video chat.

"6th Gen Intel Core processors deliver some of the most significant advancements in computing that we've ever seen," said Kirk Skaugen, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group.

"New 6th Gen Intel Core-based systems are more responsive than ever with enhanced performance, battery life and security. And they can enable amazing new PC experiences like logging into your computer with your face and having a personal assistant respond to your voice. The combination of 6th Gen Intel Core processors, Windows 10 and beautiful new systems from PC manufacturers make this the best time ever to buy a new computer."

According to the company, the Skylake platform was largely developed in Israel, with input from teams in India and the US. 

Intel is Israel's largest single high-tech employer, with approximately 10,000 workers in Haifa, Petach Tikvah, Kiryat Gat, Jerusalem, and other locations. Intel is also Israel's largest high-tech exporter, single-handedly responsible for approximately 10% of the country's tech exports, according to the company.