Intel Running 14nm Tests Says Director Of Northern Europe Branch
This week it's become apparent that Intel is fully prepared to start in on the generation following their up until now known Ivy Bridge architecture with 22 nanometer process, that being an amazingly tiny 14nm, in the lab now! Managing Director Intel Northern Europe Pat Bliemer spoke with Nordic Hardware on how Intel is "well in phase" with current roadmaps, this appearing to show Intel as still having the crown they claimed when they were the first semiconductor manufacturer to use 32 nanometer technology for mass production. Bliemer also confirmed that Intel would be ready by the ned of first quarter 2012 to roll out its 22 nanometer process with 3D transistors, aka Tri-gate transistors.
This interview took place at DreamHack Winter 2011, and Bleimer also let NHW that with the launch of Ivy Bridge, Intel would be "one and a half node" ahead of the competition. The ever-shrinking size of manufacturing on this hardware presents many challenges, as you may realize, and Bliemer is well aware of it, speaking on how of course 14nm will be their greatest work yet. Bliemer noted the following:
"I wouldn't say that we have problem but there's no denying that it's getting more complicated the smaller you make something, so you're running into limitations – but our R&D as well from an architectural point of view are the guys making the manufacturing and that's within the same company – which makes Intel unique still. So we can really work extremely close with these teams. We are the same team, the guys who are going to manufacture the parts and the ones who will be designing the parts." – Bliemer
Building circuits at 14nm is going to be a pickle, without a doubt, but in that Intel has already left the drawing board, so to speak, and has begun testing in the labs, it should come as no surprise that Intel will more than likely be the first to the market with such a process. The confirmation that they're in the lab right this moment comes from the following quote, again from Bliemer in the same interview:
"We need to keep going and you can trust me that in our labs we actually have the next generation after 22nm running, so we need to keep going.[...]I cannot really disclose more about that other than that in a laboratory-environment, absolutely we do have the path, our engineers do have the path to actually go and produce 14nm products." – Bliemer
Can you even contain yourself with all the excitement you're feeling that the tiniest innards of your computer will soon be smaller, then smaller again?! It's too much to take!
[via Nordic Hardware]