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Scil Tech The MMKMK IW—^1— Computers heading for speed limits By Brad Bennett THE BATTALION The computer industry needs a break through in chip design as chip manufac turers quickly approach the physical lim itations of silicon processors, according to recent research from Texas A&M electrical engineering professor Laszlo Kish. Moore’s Law is the theory that com puter processing speed will double every year, named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moor., The law has held fast since Moore made the prediction in 1965. However, the law is becoming obso lete. Kish said. The law will become out dated in six to 10 more years as processors reach their physical limitation - their speed limit - somewhere around 10 giga hertz. Currently, the fastest processor avail able from Dell is 3 gigahertz - gigahertz denoting one billion operations performed per second. Kish’s theory shows that as proces sors get smaller, thermal noise interfer ence becomes more of a problem. obstructing a processor’s electrical sig nals. Thermal noise is caused by heat, which is a natural by-product of electric ity moving through microchips while they perform calculations. “Small noise spikes are present (in processors) now, but are negated because of their size,” Kish said. To combat problems ££ associated with thermal noise, chip manufacturers have been lowering the voltage supplied to chips as the size drops, which ere If there is a breakthrough that improves energy He said that if microchip innovation were to continue at pace with Moore’s law, chips would shrink to less than 40 nanometers, or one ten-millionth of a meter. Transistors are currently 100 nanometers in size. Nancy Forbes and Mike Foster dis cussed Moore’s Law in Computing in Science & Engineering magazine. Forbes said Moore pre dicted that his rule would become void by the year 2010, but she claims his ates problems with energy efficiency in the chip. ,, . , . Energy-efficiency prob- Llule to continue Culp becoming lems are caused when ener- improvements, gy is wasted during normal processing of the chip. The amount of wasted energy due to inefficiency increas es as the chip gets smaller. Energy efficiency is a leading cause of the prob lem with chip progress, but it could be part of the solution. “If there is a breakthrough that improves energy efficiency, we will be able to continue chip improvements,” Kish said. efficiency, we will be prediction of limitation was based on chip production economically infeasible after a certain point - not on the physical limitations of microchips. Besides a breakthrough in energy efficiency, Laszlo said, parallel processing is a possible direction to take in future chip development. — Laszlo Kish, Texas A&M professor Parallel processing uses several chips or microprocessors operating simultaneously to complete a task. In Computing in Science & Engineering, James Miendl of the Georgia Institute of Technology said that new interconnections - the metal wiring between transistors - are the key to chip improvements. Miendl said chip manufacturers are beginning to look at the importance of interconnections, which have been “benignly neglected” by chip designers for the past decade. Miendl said he sees several areas where interconnections can improve chip performance, such as changing materials used, increasing the intercon nect’s cross-sectional dimensions, implementing multi-level interconnec tions that utilize chip wiring in two directions instead of one, and using three-dimensional structures composed of multiple wiring levels. In the late 1990s, chip manufactur ers’ switch from aluminum to copper interconnections demonstrated chip manufacturers interest in improving interconnections, he said. Miendl said seeking an alternative material to silicon, or at least a material to supplement silicon’s shortcomings. Chip development is assured as present transistors have evolved from vacuum tubes through three other stages of devel opment to their present state, he said. Change in microprocessor speeds since 1971 Source: wvvw.i>( imk.raim iy.nki Travis Swenson • THE BATTALION NEWS IN BRIEF Hacker compromised 8 million credit cards OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A hack er who gained access to mil lions of credit card numbers apparently did it by breaking into a computer system at a company that handles transac tions for catalog companies and other direct marketers. Data Processors International, based in Omaha, said Wednesday that "an unautho rized outside party'" had tapped into its computer system. Scott Jones, a company spokesman, refused to com ment on when the hacker gained access and how many credit card account numbers may have been compromised. Credit card companies and the Secret Service have said that as many as 8 million account num bers were accessed. Texas promotes smallpox vaccination AUSTIN (AP) — More than 20 years after smallpox was consid ered eradicated, Texas is launch ing its immunization program to battle a potential new outbreak of the disease. Dennis Perrotta, state epidemi ologist and head of the bioter rorism preparedness program for the state health department, rolled up his sleeve and received his smallpox shot Tuesday. "In these dangerous times, we must be prepared," said health commissioner Dr. Eduardo Sanchez. a 3285 FREE ny of these phones, okia 3285 0W JUST 99 29 j VX-10 0W JUST dQ99 ■4«J/Aftermail-in B ^ rebate $99.99 regular price $50.00 mail-in rebate .G 4400 row just 99 After mail-in rebate 99 $199.99. 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