Gizmodo: microchips

IBM Examining Microchips Built On DNA "Origami" Nanostructures

Jack Loftus — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EDT

From the "at least 10 years out" category of microchip fabrication comes word that IBM is working to reduce future costs and microchip sizes by using DNA.

Yes, that's correct: The building blocks of life could one day contribute to your virtual reality headshot in Halo 28: Master Chief Comes Back From the Dead for the 12th Time.

IBM's early stage research combines the DNA double helix and, unsurprisingly, nanotechnology to build frameworks for theoretically smaller and less expensive microchips.

"This is the first demonstration of using biological molecules to help with processing in the semiconductor industry," said IBM research manager Spike Narayan. "Basically, this is telling us that biological structures like DNA actually offer some very reproducible, repetitive kinds of patterns that we can actually leverage in semiconductor processes," he said.

But like I said, ten years out of more before the same genetic building blocks found in all of us are also powering the supercomputers of the future. [Reuters]

Implanted Microchip Will Monitor Your Health, Deliver Drugs From Under Your Skin

Elaine Chow — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:45:00 EDT

One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or lupus, is the need to test your body constantly to make sure you're healthy. MicroCHIPS is looking to alleviate that with a new device that's implanted under the skin of a patient. The “chip,” about the size of a dime, senses changes in body chemistry and releases medicine when needed. It can also be remotely activated to drop medication as well.

The chip is much more precise than the finger pricking method for monitoring blood, and in diabetes sufferers, can minimize the risk of complications like blindness and kidney failure. The first glucose-monitoring and osteoporosis drug-releasing chips will begin human clinical trials next year. MicroCHIPS is looking into developing more advanced versions that can predict heart or kidney failure, biodegrade in the body, and release multiple vaccine or drug doses over time. [Popsci]

Intel Planning 6-Core "Dunnington" Microprocessor

Haroon Malik — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:08:09 EST

According to the chaps at the Eclipse Developer's Journal (EDJ), Intel is planning a six-core microprocessor, which will go by the Dunnington moniker.

The six-core beast will be succeeded by the even meatier, Nehalem micro-architecture, which will support greater than eight cores. The work regarding the Dunnington project is still under wraps, but our friends at EDJ insist Intel has already put together a die, the size of a postage stamp, with three dual-core 45nm Penryn chips on it sharing a 16MB L3 cache. Allegedly, we'll see the Dunnington in either Q2 or Q3, this year—we'll be sure to keep you posted on any developments. [EDJ via The Inquirer]

MIT Researchers Develop Tractor Beam For Microchip Manufacturing

Adrian Covert — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:50:24 EDT

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a method of arranging cells on a microchip using what they call "optical tweezers." These optical tweezers consist of a fine tuned beam of laser light, which moves cells around on the chip.

Scientists say this could have may beneficial applications in the fields of biomedical and materials research. In the picture shown, they used said tweezers to arrange the letters "MIT" on the surface of the chip. Now if they could do that with Harvard's marching band at a football game, I'd really be impressed. [AP via Science Daily]

IBM, Georgia Tech To Announce World's Fastest Microchip: 500GHz

Gizloco — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:58:26 EDT

Think your dual core 3-GHz processor is the bee's knees? IBM and Georgia Tech will more than likely make you cry today with their expected announcement of a silicon-based microchip that runs at 500GHz, a world record. No, not 50GHz, but 500GHz. This feat is accomplished because researchers essentially froze the microchip to 451 degrees below zero—only nine degrees hotter than the theoretically lowest possible temperature, absolute zero. At room temperature, the microchip still runs at a respectable 350GHz.

Now, let's just pause a minute to think of the possibilities: high definition movie playback (like Blu-ray and HD DVD) could be carried out effortlessly; weather forecasts could crunch more numbers, leading to more accurate forecasts; most importantly, your frame rate in Battlefield would be off the charts. – Nicholas Deleon

Researchers Say New Chip Breaks Speed Record [The New York Times via Drudge Report]

Using the Human Body as a Transfer Medium for Chips

Gizloco — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 07:36:21 EST

Recently, research has turned to using the human body as a medium for data transfer, also known as a personal area network. At the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology modified an iPod nano to use a human finger to transfer audio signals to the earphones. So long as the finger remains in contact with the conductor, the audio signals are transmitted from the nano, through the person, and finally to the earphones. Also featured at the conference were chips designed by the University of Utah that transmit data wireless from a person's brain. These chips, designed to monitor the brain waves of patients, used to output data via a wired connection. That's right: cables went from chips in a person's brain to an external monitoring device, which is probably not the most comfortable situation. Innovations like these probably won't make their way to consumer devices any time soon, but what the future hold's is anyone's guess.

Chips that really get under your skin [CNet News.com]

Vias New Chips: Way Cool, Quiet, Too

Charlie White — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 11:44:37 EST

Keeping things cool and quiet, Via Technologies rolled out two new members of its Eden family of processors that can do their work without all that racket from a cooling fan. Called the Eden ULV (Ultra Low Voltage), not only are these 1.5GHz and 1GHz processors fanless, but they won't suck the batteries on your laptop dry, either—they are efficient little buggers. How power-stingy are they? Try a mere 3.5 watts for the 1GHz part, and 7.5 watts for the 1.5GHz. Via is targeting these new processors for applications that need absolute quiet, such as thin clients, silent desktops, or that set-top box in your home theater—you wouldn't want a constant droning noise drowning out the subtleties of your latest cinematic explorations, would you? No pricing yet on these new processors, but they re shipping now.

Via launches 1.5GHz processor that doesn't need a fan [Infoworld]