Intel unveiled its new Core 2 Duo processor lineup on Thursday, increasing the pressure on rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The 10 new dual-core chips promise markedly better performance and greater energy efficiency than Intel’s existing products.

The chip was launched at a special event at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. and was billed as Intel’s most significant chip since the introduction of the original Pentium processor in 1993.

Intel Core 2 is “the best microprocessor we've ever built,” said Intel CEO, Paul Otellini. “This is not just an incremental change… This is a revolutionary leap.”

The introduction comes at a crucial moment. Intel executives have watched AMD expand its share of the processor market in recent quarters and they want to reclaim this lost ground.

“We're really bullish on Core 2 Duo and we believe that it's going to enable us to grow a significant amount of (market) share over the second half of the year. That's our goal,” said Tim Bailey, director of platform marketing at Intel Asia-Pacific.

With the introduction of the Core 2 Duo, Intel now produces more 60-nanometer chips than 90-nanometer chips, the company said. That will help Intel put pressure on AMD, which still produces most of its chips using a 90-nanometer process.

Intel clearly expects to see big sales from the release of the Core 2 Duo. Otellini said the company expects to ship its 1 millionth Core 2 Duo processor in a little less than seven weeks after launch. In comparison, it took Pentium a year to reach that level of ramp-up.