From CNET: Intel's Arrow Lake processor for 2024 PCs will get a speed boost thanks to a new technique sending electrical power through its chips.
In tests detailed Monday, Intel said a technology it calls PowerVia offered a 6% speed boost on test chips. Another big change called RibbonFET that's coming with Arrow Lake should offer further advantages.
That's a big deal for Intel, which has struggled to reclaim a once formidable chipmaking advantage that it lost to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung. Those two companies are "foundry" companies that make other chips, notably Intel's top competitors: Apple, AMD, Nvidia and Qualcomm, but they aren't expected to match PowerVia until later.
If PowerVia and RibbonFET arrive on time in 2024 with the Intel 20A manufacturing process, then are improved with 18A in 2025, it could help Intel better match rival chips when it comes to packing in lots of circuitry and running efficiently to extend battery life. Apple's MacBook laptops run unplugged for hours, and many models completely do away with a cooling fan to keep their chips from overheating.
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