Recently, IBM Chip Manufacturing reached a new high when the experts developed a silicon chip with the smallest components till date. The company confirmed that it was now equipped to develop silicon chips with parts as small as seven nanometers which is the size of a tiny red blood cell.

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According to BBC, IBM confirmed that it was now fully able to develop silicon chips with the smallest available components till date. As of now, the components of a silicon chip are fourteen nanometer each; however, by pulling of its experiment successfully, IBM has established a new benchmark as it came out with the first silicon chip made from parts that are just seven nanometer wide. This is as good as the size of a red blood cell.

As of now, the new chip has been developed only within the labs though IBM confirmed that it is exploring ways, in which, they can adapt the technique to the manufacturing unit in order to replicate its success.

Another report on NY Times confirmed that IBM was able to achieve this feat by shifting to a mix of silicon and germanium, instead of previously relying only on silicon. The company also said that the new chips have four times more capacity as compared to the other options. The core purpose of this motive is to further promote the growth of the company's association with New York State, GlobalFoundries in New York's Hudson Valley, where IBM is investing $3 billion in a private-public partnership.

The success of this experiment also confirms that the Moore's law describing the growth of computer power will continue to remain applicable even today. Meanwhile, in its statement, IBM said that it had overcome the technical difficulties of reducing the chip size and had developed a fully functional product.

Previously too, companies like Intel had been trying a similar feat but were unable to get any success. The new material being used in this process also facilitates transistor switching and makes it possible to operate at a lesser power consumption. This news comes as a surprise especially after IBM had shed a lot of its semiconductor manufacturing  facilities.

TagsIBM Chip Manufacturing, IBM news, IBM technology