Intel's 3D transistors are no small feat. Some are calling
it a breakthrough that will allow Intel to continue to make chips that adhere
to Moore's Law (i.e. the number of transistors that can be placed on a circuit
will double every two years).
Even that impressive feat is just business as usual. After
all, Moore's Law has been in effect for decades. The bigger news would be if
Moore's Law no longer applied to Intel chips.
So what's the big deal with Intel's 3D transistors? The
answer lies in more than just smartphones, tablets, and set-top boxes. This
fundamental new way of making the circuits of microchips could have a dramatic
impact on everything from the smallest handheld devices to the biggest
datacenters.
The Future of Computing
There's no denying that the future of computing lies in
small, low-power solutions coupled with big-iron cloud services. Smartphones
are becoming personal computers, powerful enough to run simple desktop
computing environments. Tablets are cannibalizing laptops. Entire home
entertainment experiences are being jammed into tiny set-top boxes and embedded
into televisions. Even Microsoft's next version of Windows will run on
low-power ARM-based chips.
Intel hasn't excelled in all of these areas. It has a
presence in televisions, thanks to Google TV and the Boxee Box, but so far the
company hasn't gained much traction in smartphones and tablets. Intel's
Moorestown chips are largely ignored. Its Medfield chips aren't due to appear
in any products until later this year, and they still may not fare well against
the more-established ARM processors.
With 3D transistors, Intel may finally have the ammunition
it needs to do battle in the smartphone and tablet markets. Intel claims its
new transistors can switch 37 percent faster than those made with its existing
32-nm process in chips that operate at low voltage, or 18% faster in chips that
operate at high voltage. Transistors switching at the same speed as those in
the company's 32nm chips can operate at significantly lower voltage, cutting
power consumption in half. This change in how chips are produced is expected to
raise production costs by a modest 2 or 3%, which is well worth the dramatic
improvement in performance.
What It Means for You
The first products to hit the market using this new
manufacturing technique will be Intel's "Ivy Bridge" line, the
successor line to the current "Sandy Bridge" line. This means the new
technology will first appear in laptops, desktops, and servers that use Intel's
chips. The faster switching speeds, lower voltage operation, and lower leakage
should make Ivy Bridge processors considerably more energy-efficient than the
Sandy Bridge CPUs in systems today. These products are expected to hit the
market in early 2012.
It will take more time for the 22nm process, and its
associated 3D transistor technology, to show up in Intel's low-power Atom CPU
lineup and system-on-chips designed for smartphones and tablets. In April,
Intel said it would release its first true ARM competitor in 2013. This
manufacturing technology is what will make that product possible.
Intel will use this 3D transistor structure on all chips
produced on its 22nm manufacturing process, regardless of the type of chip or
to which market it is targeted. The upsides should be considerable and the
downsides minimal. Other chip fabrication companies have been working on 3D
gate structures, but aren't expected to bring them to market for some time.
Most of Intel's competitors aren't expected to ship 22nm high-performance
products until at least late 2012, and won't use a 3D gate structure similar to
Intel's until the next major manufacturing process step, a couple of years
later.
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