IBM (IBM-NYSE) is using nanotechnology in new chips, well sort of. The company is essentially boring holes with a width of 20 nanometers to run faster and use less energy. It is also claiming that the technology is basically self assembling materials and it can be added to existing manufacturing lines and applied to its current chips. It may even boost performance by 35% or cut that amount of power consumption. IBM does not expect to use the technology before 2009 in IBM servers and perhaps on chips made for outside customers.
Airgap (May 2007) – Using a "self assembly" nanotechnology IBM has created a vacuum between the miles of wire inside a Power Architecture microprocessor reducing unwanted capacitance and improving both performance and power efficiency.
Based on all the promises of nanotech and what is still very limited use, we’ll have to see how this really unfolds before calling this a nanotech victory. You can read the full release from the company here.
Jon C. Ogg
May 3, 2007
Jon Ogg can be reached at [email protected]; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.
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