Intel wants to make sure its popular Atom microprocessors support at least two new versions of Microsoft’s new operating system (Windows 7 OS) by the second half of this year.

The chip maker will add support for Starter and Basic editions of Windows 7 in Atom, according to Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group. He made the announcement at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing on Wednesday.

Intel designed Atom microprocessors for mobile devices like netbooks (computers that are smaller than regular laptops) and other smaller devices like handheld computers, which are also known as mobile Internet devices (MIDs).

The new chips will support the most recent version of the Linux OS that Intel developed for small devices.