Transistors Now in 3D Thanks to Intel

Everything seems to be going 3D these days, even transistors! Intel announced today that their new Ivy Bridge processors will include technology Intel has been looking into for quite a few years: three-dimensional transistors. Dubbed “Tri-gate,” the new transistor design breaks the trend of using two-dimensional transistors which are being used in every device out there now. A couple highlights, taken from the press release, will follow. This new design will help Moore’s Law to continue to be in effect. Currently, scientists are fighting with physical barriers to make their processors. Tri-gate technology allows them to overcome a lot of those barriers, bringing processing into the future. For what’s important to you as a consumer, it’s faster, cooler, and more efficient. Again, read the press release here.

• Intel announces a major technical breakthrough and historic innovation in microprocessors: the world’s first 3-D transistors, called Tri-Gate, in a production technology.
• The transition to 3-D Tri-Gate transistors sustains the pace of technology advancement, fueling Moore’s Law for years to come.
• An unprecedented combination of performance improvement and power reduction to enable new innovations across a range of future 22nm-based devices from the smallest handhelds to powerful cloud-based servers.
• Intel demonstrates a 22nm microprocessor – codenamed “Ivy Bridge” – that will be the first high-volume chip to use 3-D Tri-Gate transistors.