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

Semiconductor Functions and Costs

Semiconductors, which are also known as computer microchips or integrated circuits, contain numerous electrical pathways that connect transistors with other electronic components. Transistors act to store information on the semiconductor, by holding an electrical charge or by holding little or no charge.

Today's computer chips are almost entirely built on silicon wafers because silicon has the chemical properties that allow it to either conduct electricity or be converted to a conduction insulator. Silicon itself remains inexpensive and abundant as the fabrication wafers used are made of highly purified, refined sand. It is the precision required in the manufacturing process and not the raw material that contains ...