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Silicon Will Get CPUs To .07 Micron
ruiner writes: "This post at EE Times discusses that it now appears that silicon dioxide can be used as an insulator down to a process of .07 micron for processors. This will buy processor manufacturers a few more years to develop solutions for smaller processes. "
That sounds great from a science point of view, but just not realistic from a business point of view. Let's say that a big chip company puts no money in .07 micron technology and dumps every last R&D dollar into truly next generation CPUs. What if the R&D doesn't produce a working chip until 2007? Do you think a spokesperson for AMD could take a podium in 2004 and say, "In response to Intel's announcement of 6.4 GHz CPUs, we would like to ask everyone to hold off for three years when we will deliver our 150 GHz chips...maybe." They might as well fire everyone and lock the doors. The trick for those companies is to split the funding between evolutionary and revolutionary R&D so that they can keep products coming down the pipeline right up until that huge leap can be made. I certainly don't envy the people drawing up that budget. If you want to give it a shot, try to predict the weather for June first, of next year, and "hot" won't cut it.
-B