英特尔推新款3D芯片：移动大战全面升级
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全世界约80%的电脑都搭载了英特尔处理器。但在由对手ARM Holdings授权的芯片所主宰的移动设备领域，如智能手机和平板电脑，英特尔公司就落在人后了。 不过，如果英特尔能尽快在移动芯片上应用一项前景看好的全新技术，这一局面可能很快就会发生改观。 上周三，英特尔公司在旧金山披露了一项创新的生产技术。公司宣称，在未来数年内，这项技术可使微芯片上容纳更多的晶体管。这一“重大技术突破”是代号为“常青藤之桥”的22纳米微处理器，它将是首款运用3D晶体管的大容量芯片。 英特尔公司的首席执行官保罗•欧德宁在新闻发布会上表示：“英特尔公司的科学家和工程师再一次革新了晶体管，这一次是应用了三维技术。随着我们将摩尔定律（Moore's Law）推进到全新领域，这一技术将创造出令人震惊、重塑世界的各种设备来。” “常青藤之桥”前景看好——英特尔公司表示，与2D的晶体管相比，全新的晶体管性能提升37%，同时耗电量则不到前者的一半。公司还表示，3D晶体管由于耗电量较少，是小型手持设备的理想之选。不过，这一“重大革新”足以让英特尔公司在已经落在人后的移动设备竞赛中加速赶上吗？ 在没有更多信息的情况下，这一问题是很难回答的——比如，英特尔的全新晶体管到底何时会用于移动设备的处理器——公司拒绝透露这一计划。不过，英特尔公司倒是为其传统的产品线制定了生产计划，它展示了台式机和笔记本电脑的样机，并宣布，其用于个人电脑和服务器的全新芯片将于2011年底投产。但是，全新的3D晶体管将何时，以及于哪儿用于移动设备则还是无从了解。 因此，尽管“常青藤之桥”将让英特尔公司拓展摩尔定律的应用，并在传统的个人电脑处理器市场上让公司在竞争中再度获得显著优势，但该公司不披露其为移动领域所制订的详细计划，还是让人颇为失望。 市场研究公司In-Stat的首席技术战略师吉姆•麦克格雷格表示：“英特尔公司正为了跻身移动领域而奋力一战。他们需要一些东西来超越主导移动领域的竞争对手。” 译者：清远 |
Intel processors are found in about 80% of the world's computers. But the company lags behind in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, where chips licensed by rival ARM Holdings (ARMH) rule. That may soon change, if Intel (INTC) can get a promising new technology onto mobile chips fast enough. On Wednesday in San Francisco, the company unveiled an innovative production technology that it says will allow it to cram more transistors onto microchips for years to come. The "major technical breakthrough" is a 22nm microprocessor codenamed Ivy Bridge, which will be the first high-volume chip to use 3-D transistors. "Intel's scientists and engineers have once again reinvented the transistor, this time utilizing the third dimension," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said in a press release. "Amazing, world-shaping devices will be created from this capability as we advance Moore's Law into new realms." Ivy Bridge is promising -- Intel says its new transistors will provide up to a 37% performance increase and consume less than half the power than their 2-D counterparts. The company also says the 3-D transistors will be ideal for use in small handheld devices since they use less electricity. But is this "radical redesign" enough to get Intel up to speed in the mobile race, where it's flailing behind? It's hard to answer that question without a little more information -- like when Intel's new transistors will actually make their way into processors for mobile devices -- which the company declined to disclose. Instead, Intel laid out plans for its more traditional product line, showing off prototype desktops and laptops and announcing that production of its new chips for PCs and servers would start by the end of 2011. But when and where the new 3-D transistors will work their way onto mobile devices remains murky. So while Ivy Bridge will help Intel extend Moore's Law and give the company a significant advantage over its competitors in the more traditional PC processors market, it's disappointing that the company isn't offering more details on its game plan for mobile. "Intel is fighting for their life to get in to mobile," says Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist at In-Stat, a market research firm. "They need something to leapfrog their competitors who dominate mobile." |
