Snowflakes promise faster chips
Chips could run faster and be more energy efficient thanks to a process from IBM that copies nature’s creation of seashells and snowflakes.
The process, called airgap, enables trillions of microscopic vacuum holes to be placed between the copper wire in semiconductors to act as an insulator.
It solves the problem of energy leaking between wires on a chip, which creates unwanted heat and slower speeds.
IBM says the chips will run 35% faster and consume 15% less energy.
The company has developed a method of controlling the interaction between self-assembling molecules, called diblock copolymers, to create the vacuum holes.
Everything old is new again. We’re back to the vacuum tube, sort of.
IBM will also “selectively license” the technology to partners. IBM has research efforts with No. 2 computer processor maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Japan’s Toshiba Corp., and others.
Ref: Scientific American: http://tinyurl.com/2ytqdl
Who am I to make predictions? Still, as a result of this breakthrough, I foresee the PowerPC returning to viabiliity as a general-purpose platform very soon.
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Nyah, nyah! Told you so!
(I’m just saving time by saying it now instead of later)
#3
PowerPC processors are viable, IBM is still making them for embedded systems; don’t forget that the Cell Processor is an offspring of the PowerPC, the XBOX360 and the Wii use customised PowerPC CPUs.
Toshiba makes the Cell processors, AMD will benefit from this license ( no more toaster AMD jokes.)
Well, Angel – please reread the qualification I made – ‘general purpose’
I know some of the fastest supercomputers use them too – I’m merely predicting that they will likely find their way back into PCs…
#5
They’re pretty good alright, I believe Apple choosing them as the succesor of the old Motorola 68000 processor was the downfall of the PowerPC for general purpose because then every new OS attempt that would run on them would ultimately end up being compared to OS9 and OSX.
I keep thinking that Apple did a bad move shifting to the Intel processors, a Mac Mini slapped with a Cell processor would be a monster nonetheless and with Apple announcing that they were going to integrate video encoding/decoding chips into their motherboards..