Intel catching up with Moore's Law, sees no long-term problems

Posted on Wednesday, November 25 2015 @ 14:42 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
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A couple of months ago Intel revealed technological difficulties delayed the rollout schedule of its 10nm process, resulting in a third architecture on the 14nm node. Now things are looking up again, as Bill Holt, executive vice president and general manager for Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group, revealed the chip giant is looking to catch up with Moore's Law again in relation to the economics and advancements in chip making.

Holt explained Intel underestimated the difficulty of making increasingly smaller chips, but confidently stated that in the long run, Intel will be able to achieve the same progress as in the past. It is definitely proving to be much more expensive than anticipated, ten years ago Intel determined it needed to invest $104 billion over a 10-year period to keep up with Moore's Law, and now this estimate has soared to $270 billion.
Continuing Moore's Law is becoming an expensive proposition, Holt acknolwedged. In 2011, Intel determined it would have to spend $104 billion over a 10-year period on manufacturing and development of technology and products, and in 2015, that estimate went up to $270 billion. The cost of development has gone up with an increase in expenses related to tools, wafers and manpower.

"There is an increase in cost of research and development, but it's not going to be the thing that stops us from pursuing Moore's Law," Holt said.

Holt believes the company's manufacturing capabilities will remain a big advantage over rivals, making the money spent on it worthwhile.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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