Tom's Hardware has posted a report based on information from an unnamed NVIDIA partner that the upcoming refreshed Mac mini will feature NVIDIA's Ion platform which pairs the 9400M chipset and integrated GPU with Intel's Atom 330 processor.
The 9400M system controller and integrated GPU is the same chipset found in the MacBook and MacBook Pro; the 9400M is designed to give excellent performance and reasonable graphics performance in an all-in-one solution.
Intel's Atom processor on the other hand is designed for low cost and energy efficient applications, the Atom was originally designed to compete against ARM processors often found in mobile phones. The move would be bizarre as the Mac mini currently features a powerful Core 2 Duo processor.
The source also revealed to Tom's Hardware that the Mac mini should be released around the time of Hanover based CeBIT which begins on March 3rd.
Despite having no price information Tom's Hardware speculates that the Mac mini will be priced in the same $500 - $700 range as current models.