With 3-D Transistors, Intel Keeps Moore’s Law Ticking
Intel with another chip breakthrough, one that promises for computing power while sucking less energy.
Intel has managed to keep pushing Moore’s Law by developing a 3-D transistor that allows the chipmaker to deliver ever smaller chips that will be more powerful, yet consume less energy. The race to build ever smaller chips to meet Moore’s Law ensures our electronics get more powerful and still decrease in costs every 18 months to two years. However, shrinking our chips has become more and more difficult and expensive, and people worried that we had reached a plateau. On Wednesday, Intel proved them wrong — for a few more years at least.
At a macro level, this announcement is big because it helps Intel keep moving down the process node and cramming more chips on a transistor in order to keep following Moore’s Law. And for Intel, the news is a breakthrough that could help it compete against ARM-based chips with their lower power envelope. Intel is fighting for its dominance with ARM as the mobile ecosystem ARM has reigned over becomes a larger slice of silicon sales, and as software improvements and concerns about power are giving ARM an opportunity in the server market.