Intel's 'Ivy Bridge' Platform to Utilize 3-D Transistors

Intel's 3-D Tri-Gate transistors enable chips to operate at lower voltage with lower leakage, providing an unprecedented combination of improved performance and energy efficiency compared to previous state-of-the-art transistors. The capabilities give chip designers the flexibility to choose transistors targeted for low power or high performance, depending on the application.

The 22nm 3-D Tri-Gate transistors provide up to 37 percent performance increase at low voltage versus Intel's 32nm planar transistors. This incredible gain means that they are ideal for use in small handheld devices, which operate using less energy to "switch" back and forth. Alternatively, the new transistors consume less than half the power when at the same performance as 2-D planar transistors on 32nm chips.

At a special media event today, Intel demonstrated the first 22-nm Ivy Bridge processor utilizing the technology, with high-volume production of the platform set for the end of the year. Intel is also aggressively moving the Tri-Gate technology into its Atom platform for mobile devices to deliver significant performance and efficiency improvements.