IBM Makes Breakthrough with World's First 2-Nanometer Chip

Breakthrough technology for semiconductors to deliver major advances in performance and energy efficiency

IBM(NYSE: IBM) has achieved a major breakthrough in semiconductor design and processing by developing the world's first 2-nanometer chip manufactured using nano-layer technology. Semiconductors play a critical role in numerous systems, from computer hardware to communications devices, transportation, and critical infrastructure. Demand for increased chip performance and energy efficiency continues to grow, particularly in the era of hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT). IBM's 2-nanometer chip technology developed to address this growing demand will contribute to the semiconductor industry's advancement with the most current technology. The design is projected to achieve 45 percent higher performance compared to today's most advanced 7-nanometer chips, or deliver 75 percent lower energy consumption[i].   Advantages that IBM's 2-nanometer chips can provide:

• Quadruple smartphone battery life: Users will now only need to charge their devices once every four days[ii].
• Reduce data centers' carbon footprint: Data centers consume one percent of global energy[iii]. Replacing all servers in data centers with 2-nanometer processors could significantly reduce this share.
• Substantially accelerate laptop computing: Processors will be able to deliver faster application processing, enable easier cross-language translation tasks, and provide faster internet access.
• Accelerate object detection and response time: Can also be used in autonomous vehicles such as self-driving cars.

  Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research said the following about the technology they developed: "This innovation reflected in the 2-nanometer chip, which is critical for the semiconductor world and the IT industry, is a product of IBM's approach to tackling challenges in the technology world. This innovation is an indicator of how a research and development ecosystem approach based on sustainable investment and collaboration can break new ground."  

IBM again leads in semiconductor innovation

IBM's semiconductor development work is being conducted at the Albany Nanotech Complex research laboratory in New York. IBM scientists at this laboratory are working in collaboration with public and private sector partners to push the boundaries of logic scaling and semiconductor capabilities. Through this collaborative approach to innovation, IBM Research is becoming the world's leading semiconductor research ecosystem. By helping to meet manufacturing demands and accelerate growth in the global chip sector, IBM Research is also creating a strong innovation pipeline.

IBM's history of semiconductor innovations, which previously pioneered 7-nanometer and 5-nanometer technologies for the first time, includes:

 

• Single-cell DRAM
• Dennard Scaling Laws
• Chemically amplified photoresists
• Copper interconnect wiring
• Silicon-on-insulator technology
• Multi-core microprocessors
• High-k gate dielectrics
• Embedded DRAM and 3D chip stacking.

  IBM's first commercial product incorporating 7-nanometer developments will be launched this year in the IBM POWER10-based IBM Power Systems.  

50 billion transistors on a thumbnail-sized chip

Increasing the number of transistors per chip can make them smaller, faster, more reliable, and more efficient. IBM's 2-nanometer design showcases advanced semiconductor scaling using IBM Research's nano-layer technology. Developed within four years following IBM Research's announcement of its 5-nanometer design, this innovation will make it possible to fit up to 50 billion transistors on a thumbnail-sized chip. More transistors on a chip will enable processor designers to explore new avenues for hardware-accelerated security and encryption. IBM has already begun implementing other innovative core-level improvements in the latest generations of IBM hardware, such as IBM POWER10 and IBM z15.