Intel, the market leader in processors and chipsets has just announced the completion of the process development of 32nm fabrication technology for its next generation product lines. This will definitely mark a new milestones for its major achievement, leaving its rivals, AMD far behind with disadvantages in terms of manufacturing cost and silicon performance.
Intel has been adopting tick-tock model in which it will either come out with a new process technology or new micro architecture on alternate years and there will be no surprise to see this new announcement as what being committed since 2006 time frame. Some analysts even believe that this giant company has already started to work on 22nm process technology, which is expected to be ready by 2013 and even 16nm process technology down the road. The new silicon will be based on a second generation high-k gate technology which is able to yield smaller foot print parts with much more thermally efficient more importantly with faster switching time yet able to reduce the silicon cost in this competitive market place.
The giant chip maker has further disclosed that the first availability of 32nm will be commercialized by end of 2009, with Westmere, a 32nm die shrink of Nehalem be the first processor to the market.