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Intel Makes 45nm Chip
dolphinlover writes "Intel announced today that it created its first microchip using the 45 nanometer manufacturing process that it says will go into its processors in the second half of 2007. Intel said that this development provides it with a 'considerable lead over our competitors in the 45-nanometer generation'."
Perhaps this what Steve Jobs referred to when he talked about the efficiency of future chips in Intel's roadmap?
Yes, by announcing that we have made one chip at 45nm, we obviously win! ...nevermind that it probably doesn't actually run anything. We haven't made a motherboard for it yet.
I'll believe it when they start yielding these things at greater numbers than one, on chips with a high SRAM and logic density.
Not really. Creating a >2000 mm^2 chip without any flaws, with the expectation of being able to eventually make a profit on them in the consumer market, would be quite an accomplishment. Such a large die area would not only result in low yields, but present serious obstacles in power consumption and heat dissipation.
For comparison, the Pentium IV 600 series has a 135 mm^2 die area. If I'm not mistaken, yields fall exponentially, so no only would they be able to produce only 6% as many chips on a wafer, but could also expect a greatly lower number of working ones from the total.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
It just goes to show that design does play a part in making a chip, and not trying to cram as many transistors as one can onto a die.
My 3D Texturing Skinning work (under construction)
From one molecule thick? We're far from that.
But we ARE only a few more generations from hitting a rather thick wall: at the 5nm, electrons begin jumping _through_ the insulators to a nearby circuit. So while we're far away from the molecular level, we're still getting closer and closer every day to a very real limit. We should be able to push it down to 4nm with a little extra engineering....but as far a I know, thats going to be it. Anyone else want to comment?
Seriously? Can't I have a chip that runs relatively fast, does everything a modern computer is used for, sans games, and I *don't* have to water-cool? Something like what the VIA Epia series does, but with Intel's backing?
Is it just me, or is web-browsing and document writing fast enough? It seems like 99% of the time these days I just want something smaller and quieter. If I want pretty shiny games, I'll play them on my xbox390 or sumsuch. Sure you can make bunches of chips for gamers, but give me a slimline chip and I, like many others would flock to it.
I'm writing this on my 733Mhz laptop, bought for college way back when, and my typing fingers really don't recognize the lack of dual cores.
-- I have fans? Wow.
Why does the media insist on using the term "Moore's Law"???
Since when do self-fufilling prophesies become law?
Self-fufilling prophesies tend to restict one's actions rather than sustain them.... Which is why superstition is harmful....
If every PHB believes in Moore's quip, then do people get fired for not doubling # transistors every 18 months? Do they get a bonus for doubling the # of transistors in 17 months?
Perhaps if they weren't so darn busy cramming more transistors on the chip, they could better improve their compiler or come up with truly innovative architectural techiques that *work*....
The last thing you want is to be bringing the 45nm fab online as 65nm is reaching it's limits, only to find you need another 9 months of working the bugs out before you get useful yeilds.