Comms with chips, in the 90-nanometer mix

By Alun Williams

Posted on 16 Sep 2002 at 17:04

Cheaper and faster microchips promised, as Intel reveals plans to add comms capabilities to its chip manufacturing process.

The chip giant has announced plans for 'mixed signal' technology on its 90 nanometer chip-making process. It will integrate analogue components, associated with comms technologies, directly onto silicon germanium circuitry inside the logic portion of a chip.

Essentially, analogue and digital functions that were previously found on multiple chips will now be combined into one.

'This integration of computing and communications technologies will enable us to create microchips that are twice as fast, contain 2.5 times more transistors and are substantially less expensive than anything that exists today,' said Sean Maloney, general manager of the Intel Communications Group.

Don't expect any of Intel's new 'communications chips' to appear before 2003, however.

In the longer run, the developments could lead to single-chip devices offering mobile phone functionality together with support for wireless networking and 'personal-area-networking' services.

It's a move that Maloney claims will 'keep Intel at least a generation ahead of the competition'.

The convergence of computing and communications is an oft-repeated Intel message, both from previous CEO keynote speeches and the recent Developer Forum, Fall 2002.

At the San Jose Forum, Intel was so bold as to predict the extension of Moore's law - the doubling of data density every couple of years - to the field of comms, such as wireless and optical communications.

'We believe that integrated silicon will deliver innovative, ubiquitous and low-cost technologies to enable a world in which all computers will communicate and all communication devices will compute,' said Pat Gelsinger, Intel Chief Technology Officer.