Itanium Rising: Breaking Through Moore's Second Law of Computing Power

Chapter 6. How Itanium Architecture Upholds Moore's First Law While Suspending Moore's Second Law

“Moore's Law is important because it is the only stable ruler we have today...It's a sort of technological barometer. It very clearly tells you that if you take the information processing power you have today and multiply by two, that will be what your competition will be doing 18 months from now. And that is where you too will have to be.”

—Michael Malone, “Chips Triumphant,” Forbes ASAP, February 1996.

In this Chapter:

• Semiconductor Costs

• Moore's First Law Examined

• Moore's Second Law Examined

• Determining Factors for the Second Law: Manufacturing Capability and Costs

• Suspending Moore's Second Law via Itanium Processor Family

Gordon Moore, the former ...