# IBM's take on next-gen CPUs.



## mscp (May 6, 2021)

IBM says it has created the world's first 2nm chip | Engadget


The company claims 2nm processors can use 75 percent less power than 7nm-based CPUs for the same performance..




www.engadget.com





Yes! Yes! Yes!


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## colony nofi (May 6, 2021)

Yeah - I wish this were as interesting as it seems from that article.
There's too little information about (a) what this actually means for gate sizes / real world efficiencies (and not just comparing it to IBM's own 7nm process which is still not used in manufacture of commercial chips) and (b) who will be using this process. 

Its important to realise that the nm number these days is for all intents and purposes meaningless, and is just a marketing number. It only loosely relates to the lithography, and there is no way of comparing say TSMC's 7nm to IBM's to Intels (future) 7nm. Indeed, of those, intels will have the smallest gates by a long way. But the approaches (and indeed what the nm number is measuring) are all extremely different and is basically comparing apples to oranges. 

I think I first heard about the IBM process perhaps even 6 or 12 months ago (time is a blur these days) but it was accompanied by a general yawn from those in the know. I'll wait to hear from some of the usual suspects who are far more informed about chip design than generalist journalists who have essentially eaten up the (very well targeted/written) IBM press release from yesterday. 

Of course, the breakthrough's they've made may well be excellent for chip manufacture, power and efficiency going forward. But right now we just don't know. 

It is exciting times for cihp manufacturing though. What was considered fantasy even just 10 years ago has become extremely real and benefits customers in real ways. Laptops with 18 hour battery life. CPU's with 64 cores in remarkably small(ish) dies....


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## mauriziodececco (May 7, 2021)

Well, who want to buy ab IBM mainframe for music production ?


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## Dietz (May 7, 2021)

mauriziodececco said:


> Well, who want to buy ab IBM mainframe for music production ?


... as long as it can run Crysis ... ;-D


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## d.healey (May 7, 2021)

mauriziodececco said:


> Well, who want to buy ab IBM mainframe for music production ?


I'm waiting for Power9/10 hardware to come down to a reasonable price.


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