Intel unveils Tri-gate transistor technology

Intel has just unveiled what it claims to be a revolution in transistor technology —the fundamental building block of today's computers that first came out in the 1950s.

Intel said that its new "3-D transistors", called Tri-Gate, are "a major technical breakthrough" that may continue to fuel the high pace of microprocessor development into the near future.

The Tri-Gate transistors will enable chips to operate at lower voltage with lower leakage. Compared to Intel’s 32nm flat or planar transistors, the Ivy Bridge uses half the power while giving a 37 percent boost in performance, a combination of advantages that makes the new transistor ideal for small, hand-held devices.

Already, Intel said that its Tri-Gate transistors will be used in its "Ivy Bridge" 22nm microprocessor.

“Intel’s scientists and engineers have once again reinvented the transistor, this time utilizing the third dimension," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.

Intel said that the Ivy Bridge chip creates the “unprecedented combination of performance improvement and power reduction to enable new innovations across a range of future 22nm-based devices from the smallest handhelds to powerful cloud-based servers."

Ivy Bridge-based Intel Core family processors will be the first high-volume chips to use 3-D Tri-Gate transistors. Intel wants to be ready for high-volume production of the new transistor by the end of this year.