Fastest Computer Chip Ever

BusinessWeek has a story on computer chip manufacturer Intel’s announcement that they have produced a computer chip that will perform 1 trillion calculations (that’s “trillion” with a “t”) per second. To put this in perspective, a human could not count to 1 trillion by 1s in an entire lifetime, so this chip is smokin’.

Intel says it is about 5 years away from being ready for everyday use, but it will revolutionize computing if/when it is released. It is the size of your fingernail. It will use less electricity (62 watts) than most current chips. In addition, the computer’s memory will be stacked directly on top of the chip which will contribute to the blazing fast speeds.

Now, software power needs to catch up. If software manufacturers do not ramp up to take advantage of all that processor speed, it will really be a waste. Sort of like driving a Ferrari in reverse behind a school bus in a construction zone during a snow storm :).