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IBM has developed the world's first sub-1nm chip technology that could revolutionize semiconductor research. The advancement would not only make AI computations faster but would also help to develop advanced processor technology. The announcement comes as chipmakers look for new ways to sustain the pace of innovation described by Moore's Law, the principle proposed by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the number of transistors on a chip would roughly double every two years.
The prototype, built on a 0.7nm (7 angstroms) process, uses a new three-dimensional Nanostack architecture that vertically stacks transistors rather than relying solely on shrinking them. IBM said the technology is designed to support increasingly demanding workloads in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and high-performance computing.
As transistors approach atomic dimensions, continuing that trend through conventional scaling has become increasingly difficult because of power, heat, and manufacturing constraints. "The next frontier of semiconductor innovation isn't just about making things smaller, it's about rethinking how chips are built from the ground up," IBM said in the announcement.
The company said the technology marks the beginning of semiconductor development, where transistor dimensions are measured in angstroms rather than nanometres. One angstrom is one-tenth of a nanometre, making the new technology a 7-angstrom node. To illustrate the scale, IBM noted that a human red blood cell is about 7,000 nanometres wide, roughly 10,000 times larger than the chip's 0.7nm transistor node.
IBM said the new chip packs nearly 100 billion transistors into an area roughly the size of a fingernail, almost twice the transistor density of its 2nm technology, which it introduced in 2021. According to the company, the sub-1nm design can deliver up to 50% higher performance at the same power level, or up to 70% lower power consumption while maintaining the same performance, compared with its 2nm technology.
"The era of simple scaling is over," IBM said, adding that "future breakthroughs will come from integrating materials, devices, and architectures in entirely new ways."
IBM claimed that the technology can find applications in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, edge computing, cell phones, and other future electronics, where better performance with lower power consumption becomes increasingly crucial.
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IBM has led the world in developing the chips that power computing systems for decades, from early semiconductors in the 1960s to the world’s first 2 nm node chip. The company also recently announced a plan to form Anderon, the world’s first pure-play quantum foundry.
“IBM’s latest chip breakthrough marks a landmark moment in computing, pushing technology beyond the nanometer era to the scale of atoms. With our new nanostack architecture, we’re not just making smaller transistors; we’re reinventing how chips are built to deliver dramatically more power and energy efficiency,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow. “This industry-first innovation continues IBM’s legacy of leading in next-generation technologies and sets the foundation for the next era of computing,” he added.
IBM's sub-1nm achievement underscores how semiconductor innovations continue to set new benchmarks for technology. With increasing demand for AI applications, semiconductor innovations can drive advancements in computing speed, energy efficiency, and other areas across the medical field, robotics, and beyond.
