> I ran the numbers the other day based on sped doubles every 2 years, a > 60Mhz Pentium would be running 16Ghz by now > I think it was the 1ghz that should be 35ghz
you motivated me to find my copy of _high speed semiconductor devices_, s.m. sze, ed., 1990. there might be one our two little problems with chips that speed that have nothing to do with power — make that cooling. 0. frequency prop electron mobility prop 1/eff. bandgap. unfortunately there's a lower limit on the band gap — kT, thermal energy. 1. p. 8. "the most promising devices are quantum effect devices." (none are currently in use in processors.) 2. p. 192, "...device size will continue to be limited by hot-electron damage." oops. that fills one with confidence, doesn't it? - erik
