IBM announces it has created the world's most powerful computer chip
IBM claims to have built the most powerful computer chip ever created which it says is around four times more powerful than the today’s most advanced.
The technology has been created using special silicon-germanium mixture rather than pure silicon which currently used and is around half the size of today’s transistors at just 7 nanometers in size.
The significant size reduction frees up more space on a chip which in turn will eventually lead to faster smartphones, laptops, and computers. It is still someway off from appearing in consumer gadgets though and will require lab work to prove that 7nm transistors are possible.
Arvind Krishna of IBM Research told The New York Times that “for business and society to get the most out of tomorrow's computers and devices, scaling to 7nm and beyond is essential.” He added that the breakthrough "builds on decades of research that has set the pace for the microelectronics industry".
As well as replacing silicon with a silicon-germanium alloy, the technique also uses Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to etch the microscopic patterns required into each chip. The delicate and detailed process ultimately creates a computer chip that's faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient.
IBM worked with a number of partners in creating the technology, including GlobalFoundries, Samsung, and SUNY (the State University of New York). The research push is expected to cost them $3 bn over the course of five years.