Intel said its upcoming processors will be free of all lead. The processor to be produced later this year, codenamed "Penryn," will replace the remaining .02 grams of lead used for motherboard connections with silver, copper or tin.

The new process will be used in future Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad and Xeon processors, according to Newsfactor.

Intel's decision comes as the company feels pressure from competitors and consumers. The company already revamped its chip manufacturing process to prevent energy loss and reduce pollution.

"Intel is taking an aggressive stance toward environmental sustainability," Nassar Grayeli, director of assembly technology in Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group, said in a statement.

A 2006 study by rival AMD found 83 percent of industry professionals consider how to cool and power data centers the biggest problem they now face. AMD in 2005, began reducing the lead in its chips.

Chip makers have also been working on ways to reduce power consumption in response to consumers demanding laptops include longer-lived batteries. lives.