IBM demos superfast computer chip

IBM and the Georgia Institute of Technology demonstrate a chip operating at 500GHz

Computing giant IBM and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) last week demonstrated a computer chip operating at 500GHz, more than 100 times faster than the CPUs fitted in most computers today. To reach such speeds, the new chip was made using a combination of silicon and germanium (SiGe), and was cooled to just a few degrees above absolute zero – the scientific name for the coldest temperature possible.

At room temperatures the new chip could run at 350GHz. SiGe-based chips are already used in some types of kit, such as cell phone handsets. GIT said the demonstration indicated that future processor designs would likely be based on SiGe because the material enables high-speed devices, is compatible with existing manufacturing techniques and is cheaper than alternatives. IBM said room-temperature versions of the chip could be used in high-speed wireless network kit within about two years.