China successfully manufactures 1nm chips: A technological breakthrough that surpasses 70 years of physical limitations.
Scientists at Peking University have successfully created a 1nm transistor that operates at 0.6V, saving 10 times more power and ushering in a new era for AI chips.
Scientists at Peking University have just announced a major breakthrough in the semiconductor industry by successfully fabricating a transistor measuring just 1 nanometer (1nm). This achievement not only breaks a physical barrier that has existed for the past 70 years but also completely solves the challenge of energy efficiency in ultra-small chips.
Decoding the 70-Year Challenges of the Global Semiconductor Industry
For seven decades, miniaturizing electronic components has been hampered by operating voltage constraints. While scientists can create extremely small components, they often require voltages above 1.5V to operate. This high voltage causes incompatibility with the chip's logic core, leading to significant power waste and increased latency in data processing.
To overcome this limitation, the research team at Peking University applied metallic carbon nanotube materials as control gates. When the gate size was reduced to 1 nm, the strong electric field focusing effect allowed the transistor to operate stably at only 0.6 V. This marks the first time an ultra-small transistor has achieved a voltage level perfectly compatible with the main processing components of a chip.
Breakthrough energy efficiency and superior processing speed.
Test results show that the new chip possesses impressive technical specifications, far exceeding current international standards. Specifically, the new transistor consumes only 0.45 femtojoules of power per micrometer, 10 times lower than previously reported technology figures. Instruction execution speed is also extremely fast, taking only about 1.6 nanoseconds (equivalent to 1.6 billionths of a second).
| Specifications | Value achieved |
|---|---|
| Transistor size | 1 nanometer (1nm) |
| Operating voltage | 0.6V |
| Power consumption | 0.45 femtojoule/micrometer |
| Command processing speed | 1.6 nanoseconds |
Notably, the research team observed a phenomenon contrary to the usual pattern: the smaller the components become, the greater their performance and stability. This opens up enormous potential for producing portable electronic devices with longer battery life and more powerful performance.
The solution to the memory wall of AI chips.
This advancement is particularly significant for the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The new generation of transistors allows calculations to be performed directly at the data storage location, instead of constantly moving between memory and the processor. This mechanism eliminates the "memory wall"—the biggest obstacle hindering the power of modern AI chips.
This achievement affirms China's technological self-reliance amidst tightening international sanctions since 2022. By focusing investment on new material solutions such as carbon nanotubes, China is gradually reshaping its position in the global semiconductor race, creating alternative technologies that can directly compete with existing technological standards.