Processor Manufacturing Processes or "Die Shrinks" as Fast As Possible
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2015-05-07
·
805 words · ~4 min read
0:00
Is it not amazing to you that a decade ago when the Pentium 4 processor Extreme
0:04
Edition 3.46 GHz first launched, it
0:07
debuted at around $1,000 with the rest of the top tier products falling around
0:11
$600,400 and $275. And that now in 2014,
0:15
pricing is still very similar. Perhaps not on the surface, but consider this.
0:20
In the last 10 years, average gas prices in the US have gone from under $2 per
0:24
gallon to around $3.50 50 cents per gallon with general inflation in the 20
0:29
to 25% range. How is it then that as the
0:32
requisite tools and microprocessor manufacturing facilities, also known as
0:37
fabs, continue to increase in cost, the processors we use in our devices, be
0:42
they laptops, tablets, phones, or even 100 other things you wouldn't think of,
0:46
perform better, consume less power, and are available at when we adjust for
0:50
inflation, the same or lower prices year after year. I mean, they're still
0:56
basically layered metal circuits on a pure silicone wafer that's had
0:59
transistors formed in it. So, it's simple, right? Actually, no. Even though
1:03
many of the raw materials being used are similar, the actual device fabrication
1:08
process has changed dramatically. Every
1:11
2 years or so, truly, it's almost like clockwork. Intel has debuted a new way
1:16
to test the laws of physics and begin mass production of processors running
1:20
smaller and smaller transistors. Every time they shrink things down another
1:25
notch, we say they've moved to a new process node. When this happens, there
1:29
are a couple of things that usually occur. Transistors switch faster. This
1:33
translates to potentially higher clock speeds and performance. Less current is
1:37
required for transistor switching, which translates into reduced power
1:40
consumption. And the physical area taken
1:44
up per transistor goes down significantly, allowing either what is
1:48
fundamentally the same processor to be manufactured with less raw material and
1:52
be therefore lower cost or a better
1:56
processor to be manufactured with the same raw material at a similar cost. So
2:01
that's all the fuss being made right now about Intel's CoreM processor code name
2:06
Broadwell Y. the first CPU to be produced using Intel's latest 14 nanmter
2:12
manufacturing process. Now, architecturally, it's not a huge change
2:16
compared to Haswell, the last generation one, which is based on Intel's 22nmter
2:20
manufacturing process, but shrinking the size of the transistors allows the CoreM
2:25
to do some pretty amazing stuff, including deliver dual core turbo boost
2:30
capable CPUs with beefy onboard graphics that have a TDP of 4 to 4 1/2 watts. Low
2:36
enough for use in twoin-1s and other ultra thin mobile devices in the future
2:40
without requiring a cooling fan. Not to mention better performance, better
2:43
battery life, etc. And there's more. As
2:47
Intel's capacity at 14 nmter ramps up, we will see this technology deployed in
2:51
the desktop and server until it's everywhere. And then it's time to start
2:55
the whole process all over again. And that is how we keep getting better
3:00
processors at the same or even lower prices sometimes. Speaking of better
3:06
performance, is your site slow? Do your online stores customers or blogs
3:12
visitors complain that it's ugly? People on the internet sure aren't nice
3:16
sometimes, eh? Anyway, don't worry too much about that because there is an easy
3:19
solution. Squarespace is today's sponsor and these guys kind of kick ass. First
3:23
of all, they're just cool guys. But I guess that's not really enough reason to
3:27
give them your money. Nope, you need real reasons. Squarespace makes having
3:30
your own beautiful, functional website both easy and affordable. Head over to
3:34
squarespace.com/Linus. Grab a free 2e trial. Pick one of their
3:39
fantastic templates that's optimized for desktop or mobile and see if their tools
3:44
work for you. If you're having any trouble, they have 247 tech support,
3:47
too. If you like it, make sure you use offer code Linus linked in the video
3:51
description to save 10%. We use it for our company website, and we've been
3:54
incredibly happy with the service, and I'm sure you will be, too. Anyway guys,
3:58
thanks for watching. Like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it. Leave a comment letting me know if
4:02
you have any comments or suggestions for
4:05
future Fastest Possible episodes just like this one. And if you did enjoy the
4:08
video, please do give it a share. And if you're not subscribed already, hit that subscribe button because that will power
4:15
my turtle rocket ship to the moon if I
4:19
get lots of them. I read it on the internet on someone's very beautiful
4:24
Squarespace blog.