Posted on Tuesday, June 13 2006 @ 0:21 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Intel's researchers have found a new better way to insulate circuits, this will allow processors to consume less power.
Intel could start building chips with these new "tri-gate transistors" by 2010, enabling either a 45 percent increase in speed or a 35 percent reduction in total power used, compared to the company’s current 65-nanometer process transistors, said Mike Mayberry, director of components research and vice president of Intel’s Technology and Manufacturing Group.
The advance could be a powerful sales tool, since power efficiency is a crucial marketing metric for chips in PCs ranging from powerful servers to mobile laptops and handheld PDAs.
The technology is still on the drawing board, it will be an option for processors beyond 45nm, likely in the 32nm or 22nm mode, Intel says. More details over at
CIO.
