Thanks to xStaindx for submitting this article in the BPN...Advanced Micro Devices is combing through the scientific cookbook in its quest to improve its chips. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chipmaker is examining how to incorporate a wide variety of cutting-edge concepts--strained silicon, multi-gate transistors, replacing silicon with metal in key transistor components--to boost the performance of chips that will hit the market in the second half of the decade.
The race to change the basic structure of microprocessors is a matter of survival, said Craig Sander, vice president of process technology at AMD. Chips are increasingly getting smaller and running at faster speeds, but many of the materials and structures used to make processors these days can't be pushed much more without unleashing unintended consequences.
The gate oxide, for example, one of the crucial components of a transistor, is only about five or six atomic layers thick on current chips, Sander said. Further thinning, without creative changes, will cause electricity to leak, leading to lower battery life, excessive power consumption and potentially dangerous levels of heat inside computers. "More than ever, we are up against power constraints," Sander said. Without manufacturing improvements "we are out of business."
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News source: CNet
The race to change the basic structure of microprocessors is a matter of survival, said Craig Sander, vice president of process technology at AMD. Chips are increasingly getting smaller and running at faster speeds, but many of the materials and structures used to make processors these days can't be pushed much more without unleashing unintended consequences.
The gate oxide, for example, one of the crucial components of a transistor, is only about five or six atomic layers thick on current chips, Sander said. Further thinning, without creative changes, will cause electricity to leak, leading to lower battery life, excessive power consumption and potentially dangerous levels of heat inside computers. "More than ever, we are up against power constraints," Sander said. Without manufacturing improvements "we are out of business."
View: The complete article News source: CNet
Microsoft has been increasing its share in the handheld OS market, recently signing on major manufacturers such as Dell Computer as hardware partners. More than 30 manufacturers currently use various versions of the Pocket PC operating system in handhelds. The software giant remains the No. 2 player in the market, behind Palm.
The handheld market has seen shipments slide over the last couple of quarters, partly as a result of major player Handspring shifting its focus from handhelds to combination organizer-cell phone devices. But other big names such as Dell and Toshiba, which both use the Pocket PC OS in their devices, are slowly filling the void, according to data from research firm IDC.
In the first quarter, Dell shot up to the No. 4 spot, with 6.5 percent of worldwide shipments, from No. 11, and Toshiba picked up 3.6 percent of the market. Toshiba managed to increase shipments 306 percent in the first quarter from the same period a year ago. Handspring fell in the No. 7 spot, with 2.9 percent.
Magneto, the next version of Microsoft's Pocket PC OS, is expected to include improved phone features, such as more intuitive dialing capabilities, and will likely be more flexible so that it can be used in a wider variety of devices such as appliances.
in XP, click start and "help and support", then close it. Start and help and support again; it should now appear instantly without even a 0.5sec delay. The Athlon xp i tested had used 1sec and it had dualchannel config oc to 190mhz. nforce2.
Last edited by 962 on 15 Jun 2003 - 18:00
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