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In this article, Mytour will address your queries about what 7nm and 10nm processor technology entail.
Unveiling the Depths: What Exactly are 7nm and 10nm Processor Technologies?
CPUs are crafted by utilizing billions of tiny semiconductor balls, employing power-switching gates for computational tasks. Semiconductor balls utilize energy for this, and smaller ones consume less energy.
7nm and 10nm are measurements of semiconductor ball sizes. 'nm' stands for nanometer, a unit measuring incredibly small lengths, and serves as a useful gauge for CPU power.
10nm is Intel's latest CPU manufacturing process, introduced in Q4/2019. 7nm is often referenced in TSMC's process, the choice for AMD's next-gen CPUs and Apple's A12X chip production.
Why are these new processes crucial?
According to Moore's Law, the number of semiconductors on a chip doubles every year, while the cost decreases by half, providing extended usage. However, this trend has recently slowed down. In the late '90s and early 2000s, semiconductor sizes were halved every two years, leading to significant advancements.
Nevertheless, this figure is narrowing, notably seen in Intel's semiconductors since 2014. These new CPU manufacturing processes have compressed semiconductor sizes over an extended period, particularly by Intel, serving as a manifestation of Moore's Law.
With Intel's lag, even mobile devices have a chance to catch up. Apple's A12X chip is produced using TSMC's 7nm process, and Samsung has its own 10nm process. The next-gen AMD CPUs, based on TSMC's 7nm process, signal an opportunity to surpass Intel in performance, fostering robust competition for Intel's market dominance—at least until Intel's 10nm Sunny Cove chips hit the shelves.
What does nm stand for?
CPUs are manufactured using the photolithography method, where the CPU image is etched onto a silicon wafer. Precisely, this method is called the node process and is measured by the size of the semiconductors the manufacturer creates. Smaller semiconductors enhance energy efficiency, allowing for more calculations without overheating—a key factor limiting CPU performance.
Furthermore, reducing the size of semiconductors helps cut costs and enhances density within the same size, meaning a chip can have more cores. The 7nm process boasts a performance boost twice that of the previous 14nm node, enabling companies like AMD to release 64-core server chips, a significant improvement over the previous 32-core standard.
It's crucial to note that while Intel still uses the 14nm process and AMD has introduced their 7nm processors, this doesn't mean AMD's CPU performance will be twice as fast as Intel's. Performance no longer strictly aligns with semiconductor size, and at such a small scale, these figures are no longer accurate.
Mobile chips will see the most significant improvements
While narrowing semiconductors holds significance for performance, it also plays a crucial role in low-power mobile and laptop chips. With the 7nm process (compared to 14nm), performance will be 25% higher at the same power, or we can achieve similar performance with half the power.
This means longer battery life with the same performance and stronger chips in smaller-sized devices. A concrete example is Apple's A12X chip, manufactured using the 7nm process, which outperformed some older Intel chips upon its market debut.
In this article, readers joined Mytour in exploring what 7nm and 10nm process CPUs are. If there are any questions or uncertainties, readers can leave their comments below the article, and Mytour will address them as soon as possible.
To check the speed and CPU information on your computer, you can use various software. CPU-Z, the most popular software today, can be downloaded here.
When the CPU runs at 100%, it slows down the computer's workflow. Refer to the guide on fixing the CPU 100% error here.
