Intel builds even faster computer chip, in 3D

New York Times : Yesterday Intel announced that it was going three-dimensional in its computer-chip manufacturing. John Markoff for the New York Times writes that Intel has begun making its microprocessors using a new 3D transistor design, called a Finfet (fin field-effect transistor). Intel predicts that the new design—which includes a small pillar, or fin, of silicon that rises above the surface of the chip—will allow the chips to run 37% faster in low-voltage applications, cut power consumption as much as 50%, and make the chip even smaller. While the smallest feature on one of Intel’s chips is just 32 nanometers (a human red blood cell is 7500 nanometers wide), “Intel is on track for 22-nanometer manufacturing later this year,” said Mark Bohr, an Intel senior fellow. The 3D transistor is seen by some as a gamble, however, because despite its speed, it will not be as ultralow-powered as some chips and therefore not as ideal for smaller devices, such as iPhones and iPads.