Intel took the wraps off its next-gen 32nm CPU architecture, 'Sandy Bridge', at last September's Intel Developer Forum (IDF), but it will spec up the first Sandy Bridge chips themselves in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The chip giant has begun emailing hacks, inviting them to attend the company's CES keynote on 5 January 2011 at which Mooly Eden, arguably Intel's most entertaining executive, will formally spill the beans.

Sandy Bridge parts are officially called "Second Generation Intel Core Processors", which is the phrase splashed all over the invite.

Among the parts Eden will pull out of his hat is what Intel claims will be the "world's fastest processor". Like as not that's the successor to the six-core, 12-thread 3.33GHz Core i7-980X, the new one connecting to an LGA-1155 socket. ®