Future Technology Computer Processor

Future Technology Computer Processor

Imagine if a transistor size of 1 cm, how much space it takes to put a computer? In fact, in a computer, especially in the processor, there are millions of transistors. In the 1980s, Pentium processor 486 has 275,000 transistors, while the Pentium II has at least 7.5 million transistors. No less than 40 million transistors in a Pentium 4 or Athlon XP. Imagine, if there are 40 million transistors on a piece as wide as 5 cm 2 processor, how much, or rather how little, the size of a single transistor?

The number of transistors is directly proportional to the speed of the processor. The more transistors in a processor, the higher the speed of the processor. Therefore, the more transistors, the greater the ability to execute instructions in parallel every second. If the processor 486 is "only" able to run 20 MIPS (Million Instruction Per Second), the Pentium 4 is capable of running 1.5 million MIPS.

During its development, the processor always increase performance. Not only Intel products named Pentium, but also AMD processor. Improved performance is always based on a mathematical calculation. This is a mathematical calculation known as Moore's Law. In Moore's Law is mentioned, that the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years. Moore's law stated by Gordon Moore, winner of a PhD in physics and chemistry from Caltech. While working at Fairchild Semiconductor, he wrote an article titled "cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits" in No Electronics magazine. 8 Volume 38 on April 19, 1965. His writing is known as Moore's Law.

Gordon Moore founded Intel with Robert Noyce in 1968. No wonder if Gordon Moore is now known as one of the richest people in the world. Why not, based on research data on the 2003 Mercury Research, Intel products control 83.6% of the world processor market is worth millions of dollars. Although Gordon Moore did not invent the transistor, an idea that was brought about an increasing use of the number of transistors on integrated circuit (IC) has contributed immensely to the world of information technology. Many people who had doubts about how long Moore's Law can be considered valid. However, since Intel to produce 70-megabit chips with more than one and a half billion transistor technology 65 nanometer (nm), increasing confidence. Moore's law was still relevant in the development of the current processor. Imagine, a transistor in the 65 nm technology, nanometer equals one billionth of a meter, still has a switch to activate the transistor at 35 nm.

The process of this new technology increases the number of tiny transistors that can be loaded into a chip, created a foundation for Intel processors to deliver multi-core future. 65 nm process technology also includes several unique features to save power and improve performance. In November 2003, Intel announced the use of 65nm process to make 4-megabit SRAM. Since then, Intel has made fabrication of 70-megabit SRAM fully functional using this process. SRAM cells are small allowing for the integration of larger caches in processors, which improves performance.Each SRAM memory cell has six transistors packed into an area of ​​the field 0:57 pm. About 10 million of these transistors can be placed into one square millimeter, equivalent to the size of dots produced by the pen.

Anti-Moore's Law

As a rule other manmade, Moore's Law began to be disturbed and be sued.According to Moore's Law, the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years. Doubling this produces more features, increased performance, and decreasing costs for each transistor. But along with the increasingly shrinking transistor size, increased power and heat becomes a growing problem. Therefore, the implementation fiturfitur, techniques, and new structures are absolutely necessary. Intel responded by integrating power-saving features into the 65 nm process technology. Fiturfitur plays an important role in bringing computing and communications products that have the power efficiency in the future. Intel's strained silicon technology â € "the first time implemented in process technology, Intel 90 NMA €" developed again on 65 nm technology. The second generation of strained silicon technology increases transistor performance between 10 to 15 percent without increasing leakage. In short, these transistors can reduce the leakage as much as four times compared with 90 nm transistors. As a result, the transistors on 65 nm process technology have improved performance without significant increase in leakage.

Transistor-transistor Intel's 65 nm has a smaller gate width of 35 nm and gate oxide thickness of 1.2 nm, the combination results in improved performance and reduced gate capacity. Decrease in gate capacity will ultimately reduce the active power chip. This new process also integrates eight copper layers are sating connected and using a dielectric material "low-k" which increases the signal speed inside the chip and reduces chip power consumption.

Intel has also implemented "sleep transistors" in 65nm SRAM. These transistors will extinguish the existing flow into blocks of SRAM when they are not being used, which significantly limit the sources of power consumption on a chip. This feature is useful for devices that use battery power, such as laptops.

In his writings, Moore predicted, the use of transistors on an IC chip increases exponentially double every year. Moore's prediction known as Moore's Law and prove to the present. However, the trend has continued to decline and begin to question its accuracy, thus increasing exponentially the number of ICs lasts on average to every 18 months. But Gordon Moore defend his opinions and argue that Moore's Law is no longer relevant in the explanation in front of the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) on February 10, 2003 in a presentation titled No "Exponential Forever, But We Can Delay Forever". Moore admits, his predictions are not always accurate. Nevertheless, Moore's Law continues to be studied and became an important study.

The evolution of Moore's Law

Moore's Law is not just mere prediction and observation. Today, Moore's Law has been the target of arrival of 64-bit processor and dual-core raises the question, how the continuation of Moore's Law? and objectives to be achieved in the development of the semiconductor industry. Researchers in the processor industry trying to make Moore's Law in its product development. Indirectly, Moore's Law into batik feedback (feedback) to control the rate of increase in the number of transistors on a chip IC.Moore's Law has been in control all the people to jointly develop the processor.

On the other hand, the emergence of dual-core processor that has 1.7 billion transistors on it opens a new round of discussion of Moore's Law. The arrival of dual-core processors, raises forecast a shift in Moore's Law. Therefore, the clock and the processor speed can be said is difficult to grow again. If developed, then the consequences are excessive heat and processor design are difficult to apply.Moreover, the bus integrator until now has not existed. Besides further development, without any re-construction design processor bottleneck in the CPU just given birth.In addition, dual-core processor also has skyrocketed in less than two years, since the processor in the previous version. Perhaps, that could be associated with Moore's Law is the speed it can still be predicted. Regarding the number of transistors in a processor, it seems no longer relevant. Thus, Moore's Law has been duly questionable relevance to the development of an increasingly processor skyrocketed. Or at least, a perk.) Raised v2 Moore's Law.

Posts: Ahmad Kelvin and B. Setyo Ryanto
by: Ahmad Shofa Mawahib