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IBM Unveils World’s First Sub-1 Nanometer Chip Technology

Prime Highlights

  • IBM unveiled what it said is the world’s first sub-1 nanometer chip technology with a 0.7-nanometer transistor design.
  • The new technology offers up to 50% higher performance or 70% better energy efficiency than IBM’s previous generation.

Key Facts

  • IBM is a US technology company focused on AI, cloud computing and semiconductor research.
  • IBM expects commercial production of the new chip technology to begin within five years.

Background

The IBM team has announced the development of the first chip manufacturing technology that produces semiconductors less than one nanometer in size, thus making a breakthrough in the competition to develop highly efficient AI chips. The company said the new technology uses a transistor architecture measuring 0.7 nanometers, or seven angstroms.

The announcement comes as chipmakers seek new ways to improve computing performance while continuing the long-standing trend of fitting more transistors into smaller spaces. Over 100 billion transistors can be placed on a fingernail-sized surface of the most recent chip from IBM. This latest design from IBM is about two times denser than the 2-nanometer device from 2021. Such a technology is able to provide performance that is up to 50% more efficient or up to 70% more energy-efficient.

IBM managed to create a new design of transistors, namely, “nanostack”. It differs from other designs as transistors are not located side-by-side but vertically. It also said the technology reduces the size of SRAM memory circuits by 40%, benefiting AI processors that rely heavily on this type of memory.

The development strengthens IBM’s position in advanced chip research as competitors such as Intel and TSMC continue to advance semiconductor manufacturing. Intel recently moved its 1.8-nanometer manufacturing process into risk production. IBM said commercial production of its new technology could begin within five years. The company has previously licensed chip technologies to Samsung and Japan’s Rapidus, but has not announced a manufacturing partner for the new technology.