Moore's Law Marches On

Both Intel and IBM announced they have made a major breakthrough in semiconductor technology that will bring new life to the computer chip industry in performance, power consumption, and transistor density. Both companies have replaced the materials that were formerly used as an insulator inside transistors. This material had been allowing current to seep through, since the material had been shaved so thin to accommodate more transistors per silicon chip. The wasted current meant that additional electricity was needed for normal operations, which generated additional heat.

Cheaper, better, faster, and smaller coming to a computer near you in the second half of 2007.