Intel's BIG science

On the first problem, Kahn revealed some intriguing notions about manufacturing future processors in an entirely different way to today. Instead of building them 'top down', as they do now, by etching away unwanted material to make your processor, Kahn talked of building processors from the 'bottom up'. This means actually assembling them atom by atom – or true 'nanotechnology'. According to Kahn, Intel already lays down its high-K dielectrics in this way, so it’s not just pie in the sky stuff, and future Intel processors could be manufactured in this way.

Kahn also mentioned emerging processor technologies that move away from simple on/off voltages of today. One approach is to go 'non-Boolean' by using multiple states, such as spin state or spin direction, to encode more than one bit of information at a time. We could even use carbon nanotubes in place of silicon as the basis for future processors. Intel is exploring all these ideas, although Kahn suggests it will be at least a decade before they see the light of day.

On the signalling front, Intel is very interested in silicon photonics. The big benefit of photons for communications is they don’t generate heat like electrons do. But the trick is to create them with the right properties, which is where Intel’s silicon lasers come into the picture. Intel has already developed a hybrid laser built into silicon, and the next generation in development is a laser that is more easily integrated into silicon chips, making them easier to manufacture. The aim is for a terabit photonic transceiver that can be built alongside a conventional silicon microprocessor. Intel has already built a prototype 200Gb/s silicon photonics test chip, so progress is rolling along nicely.

Wireless communication is also being looked at, specifically at how to squeeze the most from the radio spectrum. However, one of the most impressive demonstrations of the whole IDF was not to do with wireless communication, but wireless power. Harkening back to the days of inventor Nikola Tesla, Kahn demonstrated a device that can beam energy over the air to power a remote device. The demo unit, called a wireless resonant energy link, looked like something from a 1920s sci-fi flick, with rings of copper about half a metre in diameter sitting about a metre from a smaller collection of rings connected to a light bulb. And you guessed it, switch on the main ring, and the bulb lights up. It works by resonant magnetic fields which are picked up by the receiver coils and turned into a current. The device is entirely safe, and you can stick your arm between the coils without any undue affects. According to Kahn, such a technology could be used to line the walls of buildings or cubicles in an office and then used to power small devices remotely. Wiggy stuff.