Silicon processor power reaches 500GHz

The Georgia Institute of Technology has created a silicon-based chip that can operate at over 500GHz, or 500 billion cycles per second.

Researchers at the institute, working jointly with IBM, achieved the speed while cryogenically 'freezing' the chip down to near absolute zero temperatures.

The research team estimates it can increase the speed of the chip still further to nearly 1,000 GHz at room temperature.

The experiment has demonstrated that speeds of half a trillion cycles per second can be achieved in a commercial silicon-based technology, says John Cressler, Byers Professor at Georgia Tech.

'This work redefines the upper bounds of what is possible using silicon-germanium nanotechnology techniques,' he said.

'We observed effects in these devices at cryogenic temperatures which potentially make them quicker than simple theory would suggest, and may allow us to ultimately make the chips even faster.'

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