Researchers say they have invented a new computer chip that breaks the record for speed. The staff working on the new chip hail from the Georgia Institute of Technology and I.B.M. They claim the new silicon-based chips and semiconductor operate at speeds of 250 times the technology commonly used today.
The discovery of the new chips will be reported in the July issue of the technical journal 'IEEE Electron Device Letters.'
Bernard Meyerson, vice president and chief technologist in I.B.M.'s systems and technology group, estimates that it would take between 12 and 24 months to integrate the new technology into commercial products according to a report in the 'New York Times.'
The key to the speed was achieved by 'freezing' the chip to a temperature of 451 degrees below zero Fahrenheit or just nine degrees above absolute zero, the temperature at which all movement is believed to cease.
The result: chips that can operate at 500 gigahertz. Presently used chips operate at approximately 2 gigahertz. When the new chips are operated at room temperature, they still can operate at 350 gigahertz which is still significantly faster than today's fastest technology.
The new technology is considered a major step forward by scientists. It remains to be seen what effect it will have on computer technology in the future.
