Prototype chip: 500Ghz at 5 Kelvin, 350Ghz at ambient

[lewicron]

Greetings all.

I came across this article whilst Stumbling the other day. Might be old news to some but it's quite interesting reading, I thought it might be of interest to some of the short-media punters, too.

Big worderup to one and all,
Lewis :)

[lewicron]

I suppose a link would help, eh?

http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2158731/500ghz-frozen-chips-menu-ibm

[entropy]

I remember reading this, and also another article on it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they didn't have a chip, per say. I thought it was a single transistor that they managed to get working at these speeds. I imagine it's still just a shimmer on the horizon of imagination for chips at these speeds. Still, it shows just how far we could possibly push silicon at one point.

[lewicron]

I'm not sure - it's referred to as a chip in the article. Then again, the article may be innaccurate. In either case the object of the research appears to be exactly what you said - to test the limits of silicon.

I wonder when we can expect to see an Athlon +1000000 hit the shelves, though.

[bothered]

Even if it's only one transistor, what kind of circuit and componants give it the clock signal?

[lewicron]

Even if it's only one transistor, what kind of circuit and componants give it the clock signal?

Actually, entropy was right - i think it is only a transistor. There's a bit more about it on the Georgia Institute of Technology website:

http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=1019