Motorola unveils 'revolutionary' superfast microchip technology

Independent News, UK ^ | 05 September 2001 | Saeed Shah

[aruanan]

Motorola unveils 'revolutionary' superfast microchip technology

By Saeed Shah

05 September 2001

Motorola unveiled a microchip that is up to 40 times faster than existing technology yesterday, in a move that the US mobile phones and chip giant hailed as the most important breakthrough in the industry since the 1950s.

The company developed the "revolutionary" semiconductor technology in partnership with the British company IQE, which saw its shares jump 14 per cent yesterday to close at 164.75p. The innovation allows silicon, which is relatively cheap but does not possess good optical qualities, to be married to higher performance compound semiconductors, known as III-V materials, which are expensive but faster and able to receive and emit light. Optical circuits transmit information at the speed of light so yesterday's development will mean much faster, smaller and cheaper chips. These will enable applications such as streaming video to mobile phones.

"What we've fundamentally done is change the whole foundation of the hi-tech industry," said Dennis Roberson, Motorola's chief technology officer.

He said the discovery had the potential to transform the industry in a manner similar in scope to the invention of the first chips when transistors were placed on a single integrated circuit in 1958. These new chips could run at more than 70Ghz, compared with the 2Ghz speed of the best current chips. It has not been possible, until now, to combine silicon with III-V materials – such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide – as their crystalline structures did not match up and they could not be successfully bonded. Motorola has discovered a substance that can lie between silicon and the III-V material and fuse the two together. Motorola then turned to IQE, which is based in Cardiff, to develop the process.

Putting both materials on a single chip would make it more reliable and connections faster, as it cuts down distances.

Steve Cullen, semiconductor analyst at US consultancy Cahners In-Stat Group, said: "They're on to something big.... The long-term potential for this thing is being able to bring the computing power of silicon and the communications capability of gallium arsenide together."

The technology will be licensed by Motorola to other chip manufacturers, such as Intel. IQE hopes to be involved in the manufacturing process.

[aruanan]

These new chips could run at more than 70Ghz, compared with the 2Ghz speed of the best current chips.

[xm177e2]

You mean, I could run two Counter-Strike servers at once AND play in one of them?

[this_ol_patriot]

Link Below:

Motorola Inc. (ticker: MOT, exchange: New York Stock Exchange) News Release - 4-Sep-2001

[HAL9000]

Yes, I'd like a multicore GaAs G5 in my Mac please.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

What can we do with a 70 GHz personal computer?

HMMM!

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[Libertarian_4_eva]

"You mean, I could run two Counter-Strike servers at once AND play in one of them?"
I love counter strike however I am playing a little more of tribes2 now.

[Darheel]

Sorry to rain, but Motorola is a Commie Company in bed with China, huge. Their HQ is out here in Schaumburg and they are smoke nazi's too. They kicked smokers out, then off the lawn, then into their cars, then driven off the parking lot. Then, all the employees were coming back 20 minutes late from a 10 minute break. Their CEOs are fat-cat democrats just back from Beijing. The only good thing is that our military is wired with their best equip., but that may not really be such a good thing afterall.

[Hank Rearden]

These will enable applications such as streaming video to mobile phones.

Yeah, that's useful. Can't wait. < /sarcasm >

[Texasforever]

Yeah, that is the same category as a solar powered flashlight.

[rebelsoldier]

Figures high tech stuff wouldn't be made in the USA. Too many dumbass so-called "conservatives" support "free trade" idiocy that makes communists technical powerhouses while our people flip burgers and sweep floors. Hell, we're even importing high tech workers from third world countries because our people are allegedly too "stupid" to do those jobs. Yeah right. The imported workers are here because employers don't want to pay decent salaries, not because our people are morons. Americans; lied to, ripped off, and sold out by our own. Our competitors are laughing their asses off all the way to the bank.

[Darheel]

Oh, I believe in free trade, but it must exist within the 7 rules of a free market, Adam Smith. These rules do not exist with a Communist nation that owns everything, is centrally planned, and is a ruthless, thuggish political bully. To believe we can have free or fair trade with a communist country is to be a political lightweight, or a damn traitor.

[NeonKnight]

What is wrong with a private American Co. making money off of communists? I know that 12% of Motorolas business comes from the Chi-Coms, I just don't see a problem with it. They have never been accussed of transferring prohibited high technology.

btw...I worked at Motorola in Schaumburg up until about a year and a half ago. The no smoking ban must be relatively new, as it was not incorporated while I was working there. They had a real nice smoking room. Perhaps it started durring the big layoffs a few months back.

[aruanan]

I'd rather work on multi-proccessor systems.

Isn't this like comparing four or five Ataris linked together to a top of the line G4 (or whatever is the PC equivalent)? I'd rather work on a 70 Ghz multi-processor system.

[aruanan]

What can we do with a 70 GHz personal computer?

What was it Gates was supposed to have said about...hmmm....was it RAM?

[Poohbah]

With a 70GHz computer...anyone wanna play Quake XXXVIII?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Reports of the death of Moore's Law have been greatly exxagerated.