IBM announces breakthrough: chips with transistors smaller than 1 nm
IBM Corporation has unveiled a new semiconductor manufacturing technology that enables the creation of chips with a transistor architecture of 0.7 nm, or 7 angstroms. This is a significant step forward compared to current lithographic standards, opening new horizons for computing power.
IBM's key innovation is the so-called "nanostack" — the vertical placement of transistors in multiple layers, rather than the traditional flat arrangement. This approach fundamentally changes the physics of the chip, allowing nearly 100 billion transistors to be packed into an area comparable to a human fingernail.
According to developers' estimates, the transition to the 0.7nm process will deliver a performance increase of up to 50% or an energy efficiency improvement of up to 70% compared to the 2nm technology introduced by IBM in 2021. This means future devices will be able to perform the most complex computations while consuming significantly less energy, which is critical for data centers, AI systems, and portable electronics.
However, commercial production of such chips is not an immediate prospect. IBM predicts that mass production could begin within five years. This timeline is driven by the need to adapt production lines and overcome physical limitations associated with quantum tunneling effects at such small scales.
Expert commentary: IBM's announcement is not just another technological teaser, but a clear signal to the market that the race for miniaturization has not stopped. 7 angstroms is essentially the limit for silicon, and the multi-layer architecture solution could serve as a bridge to the post-silicon era. However, as history shows, the path from a laboratory prototype to mass production in the semiconductor industry is fraught with challenges and surprises.