10-GHz processors to hit market in 2005, but challenges loom for chip designers
By Mark LaPedus
Semiconductor Business News
(10/16/01 17:28 p.m. EST)
SAN JOSE -- The 10-GHz microprocessor for desktop PCs could hit the market by 2005 or sooner, but there are still some major challenges to design these high-speed chips, according to executives at the Microprocessor Forum here today.
Right now, Intel Corp. has the world's fastest processor for desktop PCs, which runs at speeds up to 2-GHz. By early next year, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant is expected to roll out its code-named "Northwood" processor line, a 0.13-micron chip family designed to run at 2.2-GHz.
But the 10-GHz processor from Intel--or perhaps another competitor--is just around the corner. "Moore's Law is pretty much on track," said Bill Pohlman, chairman and chief technology officer for Primarion Inc. The Tempe, Ariz.-based company, which gets some of its funding from Intel's venture capital arm, develops optical I/O technology that could enable 10-GHz processors.
"You can expect to see a 10-GHz processor by 2005," said Pohlman, a long-time semiconductor veteran. "But you might see [a 10-GHz processor] earlier," he said during a presentation during the Microprocessor Forum here today.
When a 10-GHz processor hits the market, the 300-million transistor device would most likely be manufactured in a 0.05-micron CMOS process technology, according to Pohlman. The 0.5-to-0.8-volt part would also consist of more than 16-megabytes of cache, support some fault tolerance features, and have 30-gigabyes-per-second of bandwidth performance.
In order to develop the 10-GHz processor, there are some major challenges, namely power and thermal limitations in processor design, Pohlman said. "Packaging is also behind," he added.
And that's not all. "Mythical 10-GHz processors will exceed the limits of [today's] systems," added Martin Rausch, manager of platform technology at Intel Corp.'s Research Labs.
In addition to the power and thermal issues, there will be a need for processor and system designers to work in conjunction, Rausch said in a separate presentation at the Microprocessor Forum. "10-GHz processors pose significant system-level challenges to the industry," he said. "Cost will also be a major factor in the acceptance [of 10-GHz processors]," he added. |
