I can barely afford AMD and Nvidia’s current 4 nm chips, so I’m not sure what to make of IBM’s new sub-1 nm technology
IBM has announced a breakthrough in semiconductor manufacturing with the introduction of sub-1 nanometer chip technology, specifically a 0.7 nm (7 angstrom) node featuring a revolutionary transistor architecture. This development suggests Moore’s Law, the principle that computing power doubles roughly every two years, remains viable despite decades of predictions about its impending death.
The announcement arrives at a challenging time for consumers of high-performance chips. Current-generation GPUs from AMD and Nvidia are built on TSMC’s 4 nm process and remain expensive, with TSMC signaling intention to raise prices for chip designers—a cost that would likely be passed down to consumers. IBM’s sub-1 nm breakthrough therefore presents a complex picture: while advanced node technology could theoretically drive down costs through increased manufacturing efficiency, it remains unclear whether this transition will actually make chips more affordable or simply maintain current pricing despite increased capability.
A significant challenge in evaluating IBM’s announcement lies in the difficulty of comparing silicon nodes across manufacturers. Different companies—TSMC, Samsung, and IBM among them—use different measurement methodologies and architectural approaches, making direct performance comparisons between their respective nodes problematic. The implications for the gaming industry, heavily reliant on AMD and Nvidia GPUs for graphics processing, will likely take years to materialize as this technology works its way into consumer products.