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How Technology Is Making Chips Smaller, Smarter, and More Energy-Efficient
Chips are everywhere. They power our smartphones, laptops, cars, appliances, and even our brains. They are the tiny engines that run the digital world. But how do they work? And how do they keep getting better?
In this article, we will explore the future of chips and how technology is making them smaller, smarter, and more energy-efficient. We will look at some of the latest innovations and trends in chip design and fabrication, such as:
•	How chips are shrinking from 7 nm to 2 nm and what that means for their performance and efficiency.
•	How chips are becoming more sustainable by reducing their power consumption and carbon footprint.
•	How nanosheet technology is revolutionizing the way transistors are built and how they function.
•	What other emerging technologies are shaping the future of chips, such as quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, optical computing, and carbon nanotubes.
By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how chips work and what challenges and opportunities they face in the coming years.
From 7 nm to 2 nm: The Trick to Shrinking Chips
One of the most important measures of chip technology is the size of its components. The smaller they are, the more of them can fit on a chip, and the faster and more efficient they can operate. The size of these components is measured in nanometers (nm), which are one billionth of a meter.
The current state-of-the-art chips have components that are about 7 nm in size. That means they can pack about 30 billion transistors (the switches that control the flow of electricity) on a chip the size of a fingernail. That’s impressive, but not enough to keep up with the growing demand for more computing power and data processing.
That’s why chip makers are working hard to shrink their components even further, down to 2 nm or less. That would allow them to fit about 250 billion transistors on a chip, increasing its speed, capacity, and efficiency by up to 45% or 75%, respectively1.
But how do they do that? What’s the trick to shrinking chips?
The answer is not simple. It involves a lot of innovation and engineering in various aspects of chip design and fabrication, such as:
•	New materials: To make smaller components, chip makers need to use new materials that can conduct electricity better and withstand higher temperatures and pressures. For example, some chip makers are using silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloys instead of pure silicon for their transistors2.
•	New architectures: To make smaller components work together efficiently, chip makers need to design new architectures that can optimize their layout and connectivity. For example, some chip makers are using stacked structures that can increase the density and functionality of their chips3.
•	New fabrication methods: To make smaller components with precision and accuracy, chip makers need to use new fabrication methods that can create complex patterns and structures on a nanoscale. For example, some chip makers are using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography instead of conventional optical lithography for their patterning4.
These are just some of the challenges and solutions for achieving 2 nm chips. There are many more technical details and trade-offs involved in this process that we won’t cover here. The bottom line is that shrinking chips is not easy, but it’s possible with enough innovation and investment.
Energy-Efficiency: How to Make Chips More Sustainable
Another important factor for chip technology is energy-efficiency. This refers to how much power a chip consumes and how much heat it generates while performing its tasks. The lower these values are, the better for the chip and the environment.
Energy-efficiency is crucial for chip design and operation for several reasons:
•	It affects battery life: For mobile devices like smartphones and laptops, energy-efficiency determines how long they can run on a single charge. The more energy-efficient a chip is, the longer it can extend the battery life of a device.
•	It affects cooling costs: For data centers and servers that use thousands of chips at once, energy-efficiency determines how much heat they produce and how much cooling they need. The more energy-efficient a chip is, the less heat it generates and the less cooling it requires.
•	It affects carbon emissions: For the global society and the planet, energy-efficiency determines how much electricity a chip consumes and how much greenhouse gas it emits. The more energy-efficient a chip is, the less electricity it consumes and the less carbon footprint it leaves.
How do chip makers make their chips more energy-efficient? There are several strategies and techniques they use, such as:
•	Voltage scaling: This involves reducing the voltage supply to the chip components, which reduces their power consumption and heat generation. However, this also reduces their performance and reliability, so it needs to be balanced carefully.
•	Power gating: This involves turning off or putting to sleep some parts of the chip that are not in use, which reduces their power consumption and heat generation. However, this also increases the latency and complexity of the chip, so it needs to be managed smartly.
•	Dynamic frequency scaling: This involves adjusting the clock speed of the chip components according to the workload, which reduces their power consumption and heat generation. However, this also affects the performance and stability of the chip, so it needs to be controlled precisely.
•	Adaptive computing: This involves changing the functionality of the chip components according to the application, which reduces their power consumption and heat generation. However, this also requires more flexibility and programmability of the chip, so it needs to be supported adequately.
These are just some of the strategies and techniques for making chips more energy-efficient. There are many more factors and trade-offs involved in this process that we won’t cover here. The bottom line is that making chips more sustainable is not easy, but it’s necessary for the future of computing and the environment.
Nanosheet Technology: A New Way to Build Transistors
One of the key innovations that is enabling smaller and more energy-efficient chips is nanosheet technology. This is a new way to build transistors, which are the basic building blocks of chips.
Transistors are switches that control the flow of electricity in a chip. They can be turned on or off by applying a voltage to a gate electrode that surrounds a channel of semiconductor material. The smaller and faster these switches are, the better for the chip.
The current technology for making transistors is called FinFET (fin field-effect transistor). This involves creating thin vertical fins of semiconductor material that act as channels for the current flow. The gate electrode wraps around these fins from three sides, forming a 3D structure.
However, FinFET technology has its limitations. As transistors shrink below 7 nm, the fins become too thin and fragile, affecting their performance and reliability. The gate electrode also becomes less effective in controlling the current flow, causing leakage and waste of power.
That’s why chip makers are looking for a new technology to replace FinFET. One of the most promising candidates is nanosheet technology.
Nanosheet technology involves creating horizontal layers or sheets of semiconductor material that act as channels for the current flow. The gate electrode wraps around these sheets from four sides, forming a 3D structure.
Nanosheet technology has several advantages over FinFET technology:
•	It allows more flexibility in adjusting the width and thickness of the sheets, which can optimize their performance and efficiency.
•	It allows more control over the current flow by using multiple sheets with different characteristics, which can improve their functionality and reliability.
•	It allows more scalability by stacking multiple sheets on top of each other, which can increase their density and functionality.
Nanosheet technology is not without its challenges. It requires new materials, architectures, and fabrication methods that are still under development and testing. It also faces competition from other emerging technologies that are trying to achieve similar goals.
However, nanosheet technology is already making progress in the industry. IBM announced in May 2021 that it had created the world’s first 2 nm chip using nanosheet technology. Intel also revealed in July 2021 that it was developing its own version of nanosheet technology called nanoribbon.
Nanosheet technology is expected to be widely adopted by chip makers in the next few years as they move from 7 nm to 5 nm to 3 nm to 2 nm nodes. It could be a game-changer for the future of chips.
Other Emerging Trends and Technologies for the Future of Chips
Nanosheet technology is not the only innovation that is shaping the future of chips. There are many other emerging trends and technologies that are pushing the boundaries of chip design and fabrication, such as:
•	Quantum computing: This involves using quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform computations that are impossible or impractical for conventional chips. Quantum computing could offer unprecedented speed and power for solving complex problems in fields such as cryptography, artificial intelligence, chemistry, physics, and medicine.
•	Neuromorphic computing: This involves mimicking the structure and function of biological neural networks to create chips that can learn and adapt to different tasks and environments. Neuromorphic computing could offer more flexibility and efficiency for applications such as image recognition, natural language processing, and robotics.
•	Optical computing: This involves using light instead of electricity to transmit and process information in chips. Optical computing could offer more bandwidth and speed for applications such as communication, data storage, and artificial intelligence.
•	Carbon nanotubes: These are tiny tubes of carbon atoms that have remarkable electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Carbon nanotubes could offer more strength and durability for chips, as well as better performance and efficiency.
These are just some of the emerging trends and technologies that are shaping the future of chips. There are many more possibilities and challenges involved in this field that we won’t cover here. The bottom line is that chip technology is evolving rapidly and constantly, opening new frontiers for science and innovation.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the future of chips and how technology is making them smaller, smarter, and more energy-efficient. We have looked at some of the latest innovations and trends in chip design and fabrication, such as:
•	How chips are shrinking from 7 nm to 2 nm and what that means for their performance and efficiency.
•	How chips are becoming more sustainable by reducing their power consumption and carbon footprint.
•	How nanosheet technology is revolutionizing the way transistors are built and how they function.
•	What other emerging technologies are shaping the future of chips, such as quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, optical computing, and carbon nanotubes.
We hope you have learned something new and interesting from this article. Chip technology is a fascinating and important topic that affects many aspects of our lives and society. It is also a dynamic and exciting field that offers many opportunities and challenges for the future.
If you want to learn more about chip technology or share your thoughts on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact us through our website. We would love to hear from you.