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Intel, IBM Announce Chip Breakthrough

Posted by kdawson on from the dueling-press-releases dept.

Intel announced a major breakthrough in microprocessor design Friday that will allow it to keep on the curve of Moore's Law a while longer. IBM, working with AMD, rushed out a press release announcing essentially equivalent advances. Both companies said they will be using alloys of hafnium as insulating layers, replacing the silicon dioxide that has been used for more than 40 years. The New York Times story (and coverage from the AP and others) features he-said, she-said commentary from dueling analysts. If there is a consensus, it's that Intel is 6 or more months ahead for the next generation. IBM vigorously disputes this, saying that they and AMD are simply working in a different part of the processor market — concentrating on the high-end server space, as opposed to the portable, low-power end.

6 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Two breakthroughs in one day? by zero-one · · Score: 4, Insightful

    With this breakthrough and that other one perhaps Moore's Law needs updating.

  2. Not news by LighterShadeOfBlack · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry but why is this being reported again now? We already knew Intel and IBM had achieved a 45nm process and that it would be coming to mass-market chips in 2007-08. It's 2007 and it's here. Hooray and all that, but is a company following through on its claims really so shocking that it constitutes being reported again... twice?

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    Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
  3. Axiom? by rumith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Intel announcement is new evidence that the chip maker is maintaining the pace of Moore's Law, the technology axiom

    I thought it's an empiric law; the definition of axiom is quite different from that.

    Intel said it had already manufactured prototype microprocessor chips in the new 45-nanometer process that run on three major operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

    Again, I thought it's the operating systems who run on microprocessors, not vice-versa. And I [not being a kernel developer, though] can't see any reason for an OS to stop functioning on a new processor model if the architecture is intact and no serious hardware-level bugs are introduced.

  4. Whaa? by Godji · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If there is a consensus, it's that Intel is 6 or more months ahead for the next generation. IBM vigorously disputes this, saying that they and AMD are simply working in a different part of the processor market

    Didn't read TFA, but is it possible to have a consensus with one party vigorously disputing it?

  5. Re:How long for this to reach laptops? by DrSkwid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    never buy anything

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  6. Re:RFI? Electromigration? by stevesliva · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The shuttle internal systems run on obselete crap.
    Obselete, incredibly reliable, utterly adequate rock-solid gold. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Launching enormous rockets with software control is possible to screw up. Given the choice, I'd rather fly with the proven computers.
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    Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts