- Sep 5, 2003
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"Chip designer AMD has developed a smaller, more cost-effective 20nm version of the main processor found in Xbox One, opening the door to a cheaper 'slim' version of the Microsoft console. The news comes from the LinkedIn bio of AMD's senior manager of SOC (system on chip) physical design, as discovered by Mosen from the Beyond3D forums. The entry in question says he "successfully planned and executed the first APU for Microsoft's Xbox One Game Console in 28nm technology and a cost-reduced derivative in 20nm technology."
Technology becomes smaller and more powerful according to the density of transistors crammed onto a piece of silicon, with production processes measured at the nanometre level. Currently, the Xbox One and PS4 processors are fabricated at 28nm, meaning each transistor measures 28 thousand-millionths of a metre. The new chip design shrinks that to 20nm. According to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) - the factory that physically makes the Xbox One and PS4 processors - shrinking down the same chip provides 30 per cent higher speed or 25 per cent less power than the existing processor, at 1.9 times the density."
Source
^ This news is a positive ray of light that 20nm GPUs could be available in 2015. It is often said that there is hardly any benefit of shrinking from 28nm to 20nm for GPUs but it's certainly not true from a technological perspective. 1.9X the density and 30% higher speed or 25% lower power is worth it if 16nm is still 1.5-2 years away. Certainly if 20nm was not cost effective either than MS and Sony would not want AMD to shrink their APUs to 28nm and would have waited to lower nodes. Therefore, both of these myths that financially and technically the 20nm node is "essentially worthless" are bogus claims.
Technology becomes smaller and more powerful according to the density of transistors crammed onto a piece of silicon, with production processes measured at the nanometre level. Currently, the Xbox One and PS4 processors are fabricated at 28nm, meaning each transistor measures 28 thousand-millionths of a metre. The new chip design shrinks that to 20nm. According to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) - the factory that physically makes the Xbox One and PS4 processors - shrinking down the same chip provides 30 per cent higher speed or 25 per cent less power than the existing processor, at 1.9 times the density."
Source
^ This news is a positive ray of light that 20nm GPUs could be available in 2015. It is often said that there is hardly any benefit of shrinking from 28nm to 20nm for GPUs but it's certainly not true from a technological perspective. 1.9X the density and 30% higher speed or 25% lower power is worth it if 16nm is still 1.5-2 years away. Certainly if 20nm was not cost effective either than MS and Sony would not want AMD to shrink their APUs to 28nm and would have waited to lower nodes. Therefore, both of these myths that financially and technically the 20nm node is "essentially worthless" are bogus claims.