0

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

As computers are embedded into everything, from wearables and clothing, to even human cells, they’ve got to get smaller – and they are.

 

Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More.

As transistors get ever smaller, with 7nm transistors now going into production and 5nm, 1nm, 0.5nm, and 0.1nm, and even atom sized, liquid transistors, and  Bio-Compatible transistors that can be integrated into the human brain already in the labs, researchers from China have reported success developing 3nm transistors – about the width of a human DNA strand – that show promise for practical use in chips according to work recently published in the IEEE Electron Device Letters.

Yin Huaxiang, one of the researchers involved in the work and deputy director of microelectronics device and integrated technology at the Institute of Microelectronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported one of the key obstacles overcome was the so-called Boltzmann Tyranny – a problem involving the distribution of electrons in a space.

 

RELATED
Scientists stored a movie inside a living bacteria, then replayed it

 

A brief account of the work is also presented in the South China Morning Post. Yin’s team, using a method known as negative capacitance, was able to power transistors by using half the theoretical minimum amount of electricity required.

“This is the most exciting part of our work. It is not just another new finding in a laboratory. It has a high potential for real, serious applications, and we have the patent” said Huaxiang in the SCMP article. Commercialization could take a few years as the team worked on materials and quality control, according to the researcher.

Others are also working on 3nm chip technology including Samsung which according to the article planned to complete the development of a 3nm transistor by the first half of next year, and compared to current 7nm technology, Samsung said a processor built with its 3nm transistors would use half as much power to achieve a 35 per cent higher performance. And as the US starts upping the ante with China, and banning companies including Huawei and ZTE access to US technology, including semiconductors, the breakthrough would put China into a “head-on competition with the world’s top players at the very front line of chip development,” Huaxiang said.

 

RELATED
Our Algorithmic Society, the deadly consequences of unpredictable code

 

Overall though, between the ratcheting up of tariffs and tensions, and China’s desire to become the world’s technology superpower, with multiple breakthroughs across multiple sectors, from quantum communications and quantum radar, through to breakthroughs in AI, cyber, gene editing, and robotics, don’t be surprised when the time rolls round that the US is no longer king of the hill. China’s woken up.

Source: SMCP

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *