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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /
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Breaking News -
Platforms:
Intel Unveils Next Generation
Chip
Intel Corp, the world's largest maker of semiconductors, said it has built
test chips using next-generation 65 nanometer technology, which would allow
the company to put 10 million transistors on the top of a ball point pen.
Intel said it expects to be the first to produce the new version of the
chips
in 2005.
The demonstration chips compare to 90 nanometer chips slated to be shipping
in
volume early next year and 130 nanometer chips that are currently in wide use.
One nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.
The smaller the circuitry the more transistors can be packed into a chip
for
more functionality and better performance.
The 65 nanometer process will enable Intel to double the number of
transistors
it can put on a single chip from today's chips, the company said.
The transistors on the Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) test chips are so
small that 10 million of them would fit in one square millimeter, according to
the Santa Clara, California-based company.
Intel does not make SRAM chips but chose them for the test chips because
they
use similar process elements as microprocessors, which perform the computing
functions in PCs and other devices, said Mark Bohr, director of process
architecture and integration at Intel.
The news was not a surprise to analysts, who said Intel is the leader in
manufacturing, which is the competitive differentiator in the chip
industry.
"This is Intel pounding their chest (and saying) not only are we ahead in
90
nanometer and ramping, but we've got the next process behind that," said Gus
Richard, an analyst at First Albany Corp.
Intel will benefit from being able to reuse many of their tools used for 90
nanometer chips on 65 nanometer chips, he added.
"They were able to do this without significantly changing the hardware or
equipment," said Steve Kleynhans of META Group. "They can leverage the
investments they've made over the last couple of years and should be able to
stay as the lowest, or one of the lowest-cost manufacturers in the
industry."
During the three-year chip industry downturn Intel spent about $28 billion
on
manufacturing capacity and research and development, the company said.
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