Next Generation Microprocesors

Hafnium, a metal used in the manufacture of nuclear reactors, could soon replace silicon in the technology lexicon following claims that it will revolutionise computer-chip technology.
Competing breakthroughs announced over the weekend by Intel and IBM, two of the biggest names in the industry, should enable the speed and power of computer chips to keep accelerating for at least the next decade.

The development, described by Intel as “the biggest change to computer chips in 40 years”, will not only push personal computers and laptop speeds to unprecedented levels, but it should also allow people to do more on their mobile phones.

The number of transistors on a chip has been roughly doubling every two years, making it more and more difficult for the thin silicon dioxide insulators to stop leakage of electric current. This, in turn, leads to a shortened battery life.

Although leakage can be reduced by thickening the insulators, it also reduces the electric charge passing through, thus hindering performance. Hafnium-based insulators are said to solve this conundrum as they allow the insulation to be thickened without impeding performance. The metal will also be used to make the so-called gate that turns the transistor on and off.

The resultant combination of processing power and energy efficiency could make it possible for mobile-phone users to watch video footage at length. At the moment the resultant drain on the battery limits people to watching short clips.

Intel said that the revolutionary technology would be used on its new generation of 45nanometer transistors, which it claims are so small that 400 could fit on the surface of a single human red blood cell. A decade ago the industry was preening itself after developing 250 nanometer technology.

Hafnium Valley may not have quite the same ring, but the metal may be Silicon Valley’s best hope of maintaining the pace of technological progress that the human race has come to expect.