Samsung and IBM unveil a new kind of transistor for the ultra-efficient chips of the future

IBM's most cutting-edge type of chip is the result of its "nanosheet" technology which results in an ultra-advanced architecture of 2 nanometers (nm). Now, the company has announced that it has been working on what might be the next step on from that with Samsung. It is a new kind of transistor that could allow for a greater density of these components per chip compared to anything available at present, and, thus, potentially improved power-efficiency or performance.

It is the vertical transport field effect transistor (VTFET), which, as the name implies, have been designed to stack vertically on a chip rather than horizontally as in many conventional FET types, those included in even the highest-end of smartphones included. This adaptation also allows the current acting on said transistors to flow vertically as well, which might enable them to get even better use out of this energy.

Therefore, the chips that incorporate this new kind of transistor could offer gains in power-efficiency even compared to the 3nm processors reportedly in development by other OEMs. IBM and Samsung also now claim that the use of VTFETs can also unlock improved efficiency in cryptography.

Buy an iPhone 13 Pro through Best Buy