Open source
Processors:
Win some,
lose some
For processor manufacturers, 2003 was the best of times and the worst of times.
On the positive side, several new processor designs were introduced. Intel released the Pentium M, a chip designed specifically for notebooks, while Advanced Micro Devices countered with the Opteron and the Athlon64, which can utilize 32-bit and 64-bit software.
IBM and Sun Microsystems also agreed to sell Opteron-based servers, a crucial endorsement for AMD, which has tried for years to break into the mainstream corporate market.
IBM, meanwhile, introduced a chip that can perform similar functions for the Mac market.
A surge in PC buying, especially in developing nations, also boosted shipments after two stagnant years.
On the down side, the cost of remaining in the chip market continued to climb. As a result, makers struck alliances throughout the year to share the costs of research and the building of fabrication plants.
Additionally, Intel and AMD had to delay their first 90-nanometer chips because of complications.
Designers also proposed new ways to reduce power consumption and leakage, the inadvertent dissipation of electricity. Strained silicon went into mass production and engineers said metallic gates and triple-gate transistors are on the horizon. No one, though, knows which of these ideas will eventually work in mass production.
Alternatives to traditional silicon chips, such as processors made out of carbon nanotubes, began to gain more notice and more research funding. Still, keeping up with Moore's Law is going to be tougher and tougher, according to experts.
--Michael Kanellos
Semi survival
The exploding costs of fabrication facilities, combined with technical hurdles, mean that chip companies will soon be dependent on friends in high places.Jan. 22, 2003
Moore's Law to roll on for another decade
Moore's Law will continue for another 10 years at least, but the industry will have to develop new transistors and materials, says Intel cofounder Gordon Moore.Feb. 10, 2003
Flash forward
Flash memory chips will soon hit a size barrier, say engineers. With a billion-dollar market at stake, the chip industry's working to come up with a successor.March 27, 2003
AMD rolls dice on Opteron chip
Bringing the processor to market hasn't been easy. But on Tuesday, Advanced Micro Devices will release the new chip--and once again, everything is on the line.April 21, 2003
New Itanium a breakthrough for Intel?
The third member of the Itanium chip family, announced Monday, is the company's best shot to date at taking on Sun and IBM in the market for high-end server processors.June 30, 2003
IBM, TI and others go for HyperTransport
Big Blue, Texas Instruments, EMC and four others are joining the HyperTransport consortium, a move that will likely expand the places where the chip-to-chip connection gets used.Aug. 10, 2003
Sun's Gemini mixes old with new
The company plans next year to come out with a new line of microprocessors for dense servers that will wed cutting-edge design concepts with a chip from the 1990s.Aug. 17, 2003
AMD explores triple-gate transistors
The chipmaker unveils an experimental transistor with three gates, in a continued effort to find ways to increase performance while conserving electricity.Sept. 18, 2003
AMD's Athlon steps up to 64 bits
Advanced Micro Devices' Athlon 64 chip gives PC buyers the ability to upgrade to 64-bit software--a feature Intel's Pentium doesn't offer.Sept. 23, 2003
New blood joins supercomputer ranking
Of the top 10 systems on a list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers, three machines are new, one is upgraded, and two are based on processors that have never before appeared on the list.Nov. 16, 2003
Intel sets the bar at 4GHz
The chipmaker aims to boost clock speeds and to launch a clutch of processors for desktops, notebooks and wireless devices next year, according to executives.Nov. 20, 2003
