The 500GHz Processor

[Pathik]

Researchers from IBM and Georgia Institute of Technology designed and built a computer processor that broke the world speed record reaching an astonishing 500GHz speed, more than one hundred times faster than the fastest commonly available computer chip.


Most processors are made from silicon, but in recent years several discoveries were made that revealed that
there are other materials better suited for high processing speeds than silicon. There are a number of time critical systems, like collision-warning systems, where the silicon based processor is already being replaced by CPUs made from a layer of gallium arsenide, even if the materials needed are expensive and more difficult to produce. Because an extensive transition to another base material would be very costly and would take huge amount of time to complete, the computer hardware industry is searching for ways to improve existing silicon based CPUs. Such a way is to add small amount of germanium inside the silicon-based chips that are designed for mobile phones in order to make them more efficient.

Germanium allows chips to reach higher clock speeds and use less power and such processors can be fabricated using the existing production lines. Even so, reaching the 500GHz frequency was no easy feat, as the IBM researchers super cooled the processor prototype to -268.5 degrees Celsius, using liquid helium. The extremely low temperature, just above the minimum theoretical possible one known as "absolute zero", enabled the processor perform half a trillion calculations every second, which translates into a speed of 500GHz. "A decade ago we couldn't even envisage being able to run at these speeds," said Professor David Ahlgren of IBM.

The extreme speed of the prototype processor was greater than the conventional design even at room temperature where it reached 350 billion calculations per second and there are hopes that the mark can be pushed further. "We observe effects in these devices at cryogenic temperatures which potentially make them faster than simple theory would suggest," said Professor John Cressler of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who was cited by the news site related to BBC.

Source

[shady_inc]

I want one....

[vish786]

woah!!! technology is jumping levels. this speed is 500 times greater then ma processors speed.

Think about price......

[readermaniax]

Great News Thanxxx

[Hackattack]

Originally Posted by bigdaddy486

Think about price......

500 x Rs 6000(each assuming 1ghz ) = Rs 30,00,000 Lakhs.

[fun2sh]

technology is great. its boomin like nuclear explosion.
FROM 5gigS TO 500gigS

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by pathiks

Even so, reaching the 500GHz frequency was no easy feat, as the IBM researchers super cooled the processor prototype to -268.5 degrees Celsius, using liquid helium. The extremely low temperature, just above the minimum theoretical possible one known as "absolute zero", enabled the processor perform half a trillion calculations every second, which translates into a speed of 500GHz.

bang!! thats the point. if you can cool ur desktop to such a leve you will be amazed by the overclocking potential of ur proccy! altho, 500G is too much which can't be reached on regular procs available today due to theoretical limitations nevertheless the overclocking capability will surely surprise you! heat is the biggest enemy of the world of computing.

i've read a couple of articles where the proccy was cooled by liquid nitrogen (not directly) and it was overclocked to insane speeds. but then these things do not work out for practical day to day use.

[Pathik]

normal proccys cant reach such clocks even if they are froxen... these proccy cores were fabricated using germanium... thats y 500ghz
btw @ hackattack i think u mean 30 lacs..

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ thats what i said. normal procs haf some theoretical limitations.

[dOm1naTOr]

Such proccys wont undergo massive production coz they need cryogenic temps and such apparatus like helium coolers are more costlier than the proccy.
In room temprature, no proccy cud attain such speeds unless some kinda superconductivity shud be introduced inside each gates and perfect insulation cud be introduced in b/w the gates.
Also the power consumption of such system ll be enormous (not coz of proccy, but of the cooler).


I just dun like a proccy running close to absolute zero inside my cabby.

[Radhesh Bhoot]

i think PS3's Processors r also too fast but not like this man!!

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

^^^ hahaha ps3 way too slow from this procy man !!1

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

bang!! thats the point. if you can cool ur desktop to such a leve you will be amazed by the overclocking potential of ur proccy! altho, 500G is too much which can't be reached on regular procs available today due to theoretical limitations nevertheless the overclocking capability will surely surprise you! heat is the biggest enemy of the world of computing.

i've read a couple of articles where the proccy was cooled by liquid nitrogen (not directly) and it was overclocked to insane speeds. but then these things do not work out for practical day to day use.

I would like to know about these articles...if possible please can u get the links for them? Just wanted to clear some things coz I was of the opinion that normal processors which have semiconductor transistors have a lower temperature limit as well below which they cease to work. If you want to operate transistors below such temperatures than u need to use something called Lower Temperature MOSFETs (metal oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors).

Thanks

[dOm1naTOr]

@nightcrawler
thats why such extensive cooling[like He] are not used even on supercomputers. They use max a liquid nitrogen cooling which can't go below -100c.

According to the present knowledge a 128 bit proccy running on superconducting stage has infinite potential. That is metering of such computatonal power is considered as useless and are commonly termed " unlimited computing power".

The use of silicon for MP production is the main cause for Moore's law to be incorrect. At very high frequency, the electrons attain supercharges and tends to jump across gates and the proccy becomes unstable. This can be reduced by lowering temperature, but Si won't work nrmally below a certain temperature.

It wud be real gr8 is a semiconductor crystal can be doped in such a wa that the gates and transistors resembles the structure of human neurons. Most of todays AI based films make use of this assumption.

[infra_red_dude]

@nightcrawler

modern home electronics won't work at such low temps, as you said. what i meant keeping the temps low like close to 1 C or so by extreme cooling. everyone knows the limitation of the present building blocks electronics.

[freshseasons]

I have an extra Refrigerator to spare.Think will keeping my PC in there help in O/C it.

[dOm1naTOr]

lowering the temperature increases the resistance of metals so adversely affect the perfomance and cud damage other parts. U shud cool only the semiconductor crstals inside the PC.

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ rightly said. you seem to be from an electronics background, like me!

[ssdivisiongermany1933]

even 2.4 Ghz a core2quad is more than enough for most of the needs

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by aravind_n20

lowering the temperature increases the resistance of metals so adversely affect the perfomance and cud damage other parts. U shud cool only the semiconductor crstals inside the PC.

And how can such intense localized cooling be done..surely if they are using Liquid He which is very close to 0 Kelvin at that temperature electrons start to lose their mobility, especially in metals which form essential part of various system buses. I am just wondering how these guys come up with such things...the processor itself will conduct the heat...cold? to these buses at such a low temperature...I mean I am confused how can they insulate the processor's semiconductor material to the 100% and cool only that much part to liquid he

[dOm1naTOr]

those systems are not setup on a PSB like the normal mobos. They decide the PCB according to the need.

[freshseasons]

Originally Posted by nightcrawler

And how can such intense localized cooling be done..surely if they are using Liquid He which is very close to 0 Kelvin at that temperature electrons start to lose their mobility, especially in metals which form essential part of various system buses. I am just wondering how these guys come up with such things...the processor itself will conduct the heat...cold? to these buses at such a low temperature...I mean I am confused how can they insulate the processor's semiconductor material to the 100% and cool only that much part to liquid he

Like This .All seem regular boards to me->VVVVVV

[mustang]

That is Great,its really unbelievable,but Researchers of IBM and Georgia Institute of Technology shows that nothing is impossible,by this it is very helpful for all the users,it also saves the Time which the most important for us & safety of our system,it also have many advantages.

[max_demon]

at first read i misred it as 500Mhz