Since 1986 - Covering the Fastest Computers
in the World and the People Who Run Them
Visit additional Tabor Communication Publications
July 16, 2012
Developing Diminutive Transitors is a Fight Against Physics
The fight to keep Moore’s Law alive has been stacked with physical limitations. Fittingly, Technology Review published an article on Friday the 13th, discussing the behind-schedule technology required to manufacture the next generation chips. Known as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), the process was expected to fabricate 22-nanometer chips on the market today. Unfortunately that didn’t pan out, leaving the silicon to be manufactured by tweaking the aging process of standard lithography.
The problem has prompted Intel to invest a sum of $4 billion into ASML, a Dutch company that makes the equipment used to fabricate chips. Both Intel and ASML are trying to get large chipmakers to join an effort keeping silicon alive. While the tweaked version of lithography has been used to manufacture 22-nanometer chips, this process is only viable for the next two generations. The stopgap solution should cover the creation of 14 and 11 nanometer chips, which is expected to suffice until 2013.
After that, the only process expected to keep Moore’s law going is EUV. While current lithography employs 193-nanometer ultraviolet light to makes chips, EUV uses higher energy UV rays with wavelengths around 13 nanometers. The process involves writing a pattern into a chemical layer on top of a silicon wafer. The layer is then etched into the silicon using a chemical process. Unfortunately, the technology is not yet feasible for a production environment.
A main roadblock to EUV technology is the need for powerful light sources. Because the wavelength is so short,, it gets absorbed by all types of matter. The EUV machines attempt to alleviate this issue by passing the beam through a vacuum, but it becomes too weak by the time it hits the silicon wafer. Changing the direction and focus of the light has been tried, but ends in similar results.
At this point, ASML’s most advanced EUV prototype can generate beams only half as strong as chipmakers required to make the process viable. The company and Intel are investing in second-generation EUV, but the money is also being used get the first-generation technology working. ASML spokesman Ryan Young expressed the urgency about getting EUV off the ground, saying, "Clearly, there is no next generation if we don't get this generation working."
Full story at Technology Review
Discussion
There are 0 discussion items posted.
|
Join the Discussion |
Sponsored Links
Accelerate your computational research and engineering applications with Exxact’s Tesla K20 GPU workstations and servers, maximized for supercomputing professionals.
- PGI 2013: Industry-leading Performance, OpenACC and More
- The Cray CS300™ – Flexibility. Performance. Manageability. Results.
- PGI 2013: OpenMP 1.5X faster than GCC, new GNU-compatible OpenACC C++ compiler, CUDA 5 and Tesla K20 support, and more.
- Progress in Parallel: the Bull Parallel Programming Center
- Unified profiling and debugging lowers costs and boosts productivity
- White Paper: Building a Data-Intensive Cluster Supercomputer
- Enterprise HPC software platforms engineering & software acceleration services
- Revolution R Enterprise Delivers Big Data Predictive Analytics
- TotalView release supports Intel® Xeon Phi™ coprocessor and more
- Unmasking the Concealed Costs & Challenges of Open Source Tools
RSS Feeds
Feeds by Topic
- Applications
- Developer Tools
- Interconnects
- Middleware
- Networks
- Processors
- Storage
- Systems
- Visualization
Feeds by Industry
Feeds by Content Type
- Features
- Blogs
- Short Takes
- Off the Wire
- Whitepapers
- Multimedia
- HPC Soundbite Podcasts
- HPCwire Job Bank
Subscribe to All Content
June 19, 2013
- CANARIE Expands 100G Research & Education Network with Ciena
- Strong Gains for Co-Processors and Big Data at HPC Sites
- Bull Delivers First European Supercomputer Based on Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2 Processors
- Eurotech Introduces New Version of Aurora Tigon Supercomputers
June 18, 2013
- AMD Unveils Server Strategy and Roadmap
- 2013 International Supercomputing Conference Opens in Leipzig
- HPC Advisory Council Announces 2nd Annual Spain Supercomputing Conference
- EADS Announces 'Join the Spirit' Award Winners
- AMAX ClusterMax Cluster and ServMax Server Solutions Updated
- IDC Announces New Winners of HPC Innovation Excellence Awards
- Xyratex Enhances ClusterStor Operating System, Unlocks More Value for Scale-Out HPC Storage
- Researchers Deploy GPUs to Build World's Largest Artificial Neural Network
- Cray Launches Complete Lustre Storage Solution Across HPC and Big Data Computing Markets
- Azul Systems and Solarflare Partner to Eliminate Java Application Jitter for Capital Markets
- Mellanox Technologies Names Board Chairman
June 17, 2013
- Cirrascale Announces Expanded Support for Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor Product Family
- AMD's SeaMicro SM15000 Powers Rubicon Project
- World Premiere for Turbocharged Data Speed
- Mellanox's FDR InfiniBand Solution with NVIDIA GPUDirect RDMA Technology Provides Superior Performance
- Purdue Builds Nation's Fastest Campus Supercomputer - Again
- Colfax Announces New Line of Servers and Workstations Supporting Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessors
- Cray CS300 Cluster Supercomputers to Feature New Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessors x100 Family
- Intel Powers the World's Fastest Supercomputer, Reveals HPC Technologies
- Supermicro Announces Support for New Intel Xeon Phi x100 Product Family
- IDT RapidIO 20 Gbps-Per-Port Switches Provide High Performance Interconnect for Supercomputer
- Colorado State University Engineering Professors Receive Award to Design Green Supercomputers
- IDC Market Study Shows Strong Gains for Co-Processors and Big Data at HPC Sites
- Altair's PBS Professional Deployed on Cray XC30 Supercomputer at JAIST
- Mellanox FDR 56Gb/s InfiniBand Solutions Deliver Leading Application Performance and Scalability
- MilkyWay-2 Wins #1 Supercomputer in the World According to Top500.org
- Acceleware Showcases High Performance Optimization Techniques at ISC'13
- Penguin Computing, Calxeda, and Inktank Partner to Deliver Large-Scale Storage on ARM-based Servers
- SGI and DoD Launch Supercomputer Spirit, the Fastest System in the Department
- Mellanox Demonstrates World's First InfiniBand Connectivity With NVIDIA Tegra ARM Processor
- e2v Adds the P2041 and P3041 Quad-Core Processors to its Portfolio of QorIQ Products
- Adaptive Computing to Manage Computing Workloads for HPC
- Xyratex to Showcase New HPC Storage Offerings and Value at ISC'13
- NAG Showcases New Parallelized Numerical Solvers at ISC'13
- Tabor Communications and EMI Partner to Publish HPCwire Japan
June 14, 2013
- Samplify APAX Storage Library Accelerates Disk Throughput and Expands Storage Capacity
- Silicon Mechanics Announces Availability of Seagate Constellation ES.3 Hard Drive
- ESI Opens Offices on the Ter@tec Campus Dedicated to Simulation and High Performance Computing
June 13, 2013
- Ace Computers' Massive Military Build Shows Custom Computers Reign
- Worldwide High Performance Computing 2012 Total Market Model and 2013-17 Forecast
- ISC Big Data and Cloud Newsletter
- Silicon Mechanics Partners with Acellera on Biomolecular Simulation Hardware-Software Appliance
- Army Supercomputing Center Signals Growth in Soldier Protection Solutions
- OpenSFS to Highlight Lustre in New Markets at ISC13 by Hosting Participatory Community Events
- HPCAC and ISC to Showcase HPC Coders and Cluster Administrators
- Cray Launches New Hadoop Solution on Cray CS300 Line of Cluster Supercomputers
- AMD's SeaMicro Servers Accelerate Biomolecular Research to Provide HPC
- Lawrence Livermore's Vulcan Available for Collaborations With Industry and Academia
- Acceleware Releases AxRTM 6.0
June 12, 2013
- BSC Building First Supercomputer to Combine ARM CPUs, GPU Accelerators, and InfiniBand
- First Open Source Release of E-iRODS Announced by RENCI
- Cycle Computing CEO to Speak on Utility HPC at Cloud Slam and LiveStream Event
- NAG Library for Intel Xeon Phi Launches at ISC13
- NAG HPC Applications Performance and Scalability Expertise Acknowledged
- Titan Completes Acceptance Testing
- Silicon Mechanics Announces Intel SSD Data Center S3500 Series High Performance Hard Disk Drives
- Bright Cluster Manager 6.1 Delivers Full Support for the Intel Xeon Phi and Amazon VPC
- RAID Launches Ultra-Dense, High Performance 4U 60-Bay Dual Server Node Solution
- Adaptive Computing Launches Workload Optimization Pack for Cluster Platforms
- IBM Expands Support for Linux on Power Systems Servers
- TotalView Offers Debugging Support for Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor
June 11, 2013
- Scalable Informatics siFlash Dominates STAC-M3 Benchmarks
- Netlist to Present the Advantages of HyperCloud Memory at IBM's Edge2013 Conference
- Panasas Launches High Performance File Transfer Software
- CoolIT Selected to Host Birds of a Feather Session at ISC13
- Calxeda and Inktank Team to Deliver Transformative Ceph-Based Storage Platform
- MEGWARE and Chemnitz University of Technology in International Battle for Supercomputing Title
- Ingram Micro's Artizen Portfolio Simplifies High Performance Solutions
- Intel Introducing New Lustre Solution
- Europe and US Exascale Thought Leaders to Join US DOE X-Stack Members at ISC
- Innodisk Exhibits at International SuperComputing 2013
- Asetek Showcases Latest Datacenter Efficiency Solutions at ISC
- UC San Diego Launches New Research Computing Program
- Tabor Communications Further Strengthens its Digital Marketing Strategy
- Solarflare to Speak at STAC Summits in Chicago, New York, and London
- Seneca Expands its Presence in the Digital Broadcast Market by Joining the Sports Video Group
June 10, 2013
- IBM Unveils Big Data, Cloud Enhancements Throughout Systems Portfolio
- Altera Announces Breakthrough Advantages with Generation 10 FPGAs and SoCs
- Supermicro Appoints StorIT As Value Added Distributor For MENA Region
- Beacon Shines for Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor Developers With Allinea Tools
- Hack Reactor Programming Students Attempt World Record, Produce Supercomputer
- IIT-Madras Ties Up With IBM
- sTec Highlights Growth Strategy Progress
June 07, 2013
- Computational Models Highlight Bacterial Growth
- Governor, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Announce Over $100 Million in Capital Grant Funding
Most Read Features
- Details Emerge About China's 50+ Petaflop Chart-Topper
- Full Details Uncovered on Chinese Top Supercomputer
- Is China Set to Unveil Record-Shattering Supercomputer?
- Blacklisted Russian Supercomputing Company Speaks to Suspicions
- Exascale Advocates Stand on Nuclear Stockpiles
- Top 500 Results Reveal Global Acceleration, Balance Shift
- Intel Carves Mainstream Highway for Lustre
- CERN, Google Drive Future of Global Science Initiatives
- Six Can't Miss Sessions for ISC'13
- Dell Boxes Up HPC for Life Sciences
Most Read Around the Web
- Building Supercomputers with Raspberries
- TACC's Hadoop Cluster Breaks New Ground
- The 5 Minute Guide to Parallel and Vector Software Programming
- NASA Builds 'Climate in a Box'
- Dust Storms Put GPU CPU Performance to the Test
- Titan Didn't Redo LINPACK for June Top 500 List
- Intel Says Haswell Chips Offer ISVs Full OpenCL Compatibility
- GASPI Targets Exascale Programming Limits
- Mapping the Energy Envelope of Multicore ARM Chips
- Top Supercomputer Signals Growth of Chinese HPC Industry
Most Read This Just In
- University of Iowa VP for Research to Discuss Advanced Computing
- New OMAP5432 Processor-Based Evaluation Module From Texas Instruments
- Supermicro Announces X10 Server Building Blocks Supporting Intel Haswell Processors
- Dell Introduces New Solutions Designed for Data-Intensive Workloads
- Skyera Adds NAS to skyHawk Enterprise Solid-State Storage Systems
- Supermicro Announces New High-Density Server Solutions
- Army Supercomputing Research Center Opens New Facility
- OpenFabrics Alliance to Host Two RDMA Training Courses at University of New Hampshire
- Fujitsu Brings Simplicity to High-Performance Computing
- Model of Sun's Magnetic Field Created
Most Read Blogs
- Podcast: Exascale Equals No Nukes; IBM Says "Let's Build a Smarter HPC"
- Podcast: Chinese Scale Top500 Wall; Preparing for a New No. 1 at ISC
- Podcast: T-Platforms CEO Responds to US Blacklist; Dell Boxes Up HPC for Life Sciences
- Podcast: A Conversation with the Founding Fathers of the Top500
- Podcast: Intel Ushers Lustre into the Mainstream; A Look Ahead to Germany and ISC13
- Podcast: A New Top of the Top500; ISC Kicks Off in Leipzig
Feature Articles
My Supercomputer is Bigger Than Yours!
Contributing commentator, Andrew Jones, offers a break in the news cycle with an assessment of what the national "size matters" contest means for the U.S. and other nations...
Read more...
Alternatives Emerge as Linpack Loses Ground
Today at the International Supercomputing Conference in Leipzing, Germany, Jack Dongarra presented on a proposed benchmark that could carry a bit more weight than its older Linpack companion. The high performance conjugate gradient (HPCG) concept takes into account new architectures for new applications, while shedding the floating point....
Read more...
Intel Snaps New Grips to HPC Hook
Not content to let the Tianhe-2 announcement ride alone, Intel rolled out a series of announcements around its Knights Corner and Xeon Phi products--all of which are aimed at adding some options and variety for a wider base of potential users across the HPC spectrum. Today at the International Supercomputing Conference, the company's Raj....
Read more...
Sponsored Whitepapers
Best Practices in Big Data Storage
05/10/2013 | Cleversafe, Cray, DDN, NetApp, & Panasas | From Wall Street to Hollywood, drug discovery to homeland security, companies and organizations of all sizes and stripes are coming face to face with the challenges – and opportunities – afforded by Big Data. Before anyone can utilize these extraordinary data repositories, however, they must first harness and manage their data stores, and do so utilizing technologies that underscore affordability, security, and scalability.
Progress in Parallel: the Bull Parallel Programming Center
04/15/2013 | Bull | “50% of HPC users say their largest jobs scale to 120 cores or less.” How about yours? Are your codes ready to take advantage of today’s and tomorrow’s ultra-parallel HPC systems? Download this White Paper by Analysts Intersect360 Research to see what Bull and Intel’s Center for Excellence in Parallel Programming can do for your codes.
Sponsored Multimedia
HPCwire Live! Atlanta's Big Data Kick Off Week Meets HPC
Join HPCwire Editor Nicole Hemsoth and Dr. David Bader from Georgia Tech as they take center stage on opening night at Atlanta's first Big Data Kick Off Week, filmed in front of a live audience. Nicole and David look at the evolution of HPC, today's big data challenges, discuss real world solutions, and reveal their predictions. Exactly what does the future holds for HPC?
Webinar: Mellanox Virtual Modular Switch, the Most Efficient 40GbE Aggregation Switch Solution
Join our webinar to learn how IT managers can migrate to a more resilient, flexible and scalable solution that grows with the data center. Mellanox VMS is future-proof, efficient and brings significant CAPEX and OPEX savings. The VMS is available today.
HPC Job Bank
Featured Events
- June 20, 2013
- June 21, 2013
CIO North America
Marina Del Rey, CA
United States
- June 24, 2013
- June 25, 2013
The Trading Show Chicago
Chicago, IL
United States
- June 24, 2013
- June 28, 2013
2013 Federated Conferences Week (FCW '13)
San Jose, CA
United States
- June 25, 2013
- June 26, 2013
TERATEC 2013 Forum
Paris,
France
- July 22, 2013
- July 25, 2013
XSEDE13: Gateway to Discovery
San Diego, CA
United States
- November 17, 2013
- November 22, 2013
SC'13
Denver, CO
United States
