????IBM上周四（7月9日）宣布，經過與多方合作，公司研制出了新型計算機芯片的應用版，該芯片性能是當今頂級芯片的4倍。其意義何在？下面我們將為您揭曉。

????IBM新芯片有何特別？

????新芯片是首款使用7納米晶體管的芯片，這一技術進步依靠的是硅鍺混合材料而不是純硅。優點何在？晶體管體積越小，單個芯片封裝的晶體管數量就越多，而這將大幅改善芯片的性能。當今最好的芯片使用的是14納米的晶體管，下一代芯片有望進一步縮小尺寸，使用10納米的制程。

????總的說來，晶體管越小就意味著芯片速度越快，這是一件好事。

????那么，我的電腦什么時候才能用上這么好的芯片呢？

????在普通電腦上使用7納米制程芯片還有很長一段路要走，目前10納米制程的產品都還未面世。IBM制作這款新芯片的目的在于證明直接躍至7納米制程是可行的，當然，它所使用的制作工藝十分復雜，很難大規模推廣。盡管如此，一旦證明7納米制程是可行的，那么商用芯片向這一制程邁進的思想障礙便不復存在。如今，尋找7納米制程芯片的生產是否具有商業可行性的重擔落在了英特爾這類芯片制造商的肩上。

????我們真的需要運行速度更快的計算機嗎？

????是的，當然！幾十年以來，計算機芯片的發展一直遵循著摩爾定律，即集成電路每平方英寸的晶體管數量每兩年會翻一番，基本上也就是說，“運算速度會更快”。由于芯片性能的提升基本上是可預測的，因此，計算機制造商和其他創新機構便可以提前做好準備，迎接更快、更高效設備的到來。

????廣而言之，計算機性能的提升帶來了一些前人無法想象的技術突破，例如，繪制人類基因圖。

????然而，一些觀察家開始質疑摩爾定律，盡管我們知道它可能會繼續適用挺長時間——芯片設計中已經碰到了一些與非常確定的原子物理法則相抵觸的情況。IBM的新芯片證明，摩爾定律至少還可以適用一段時間，這也為計算機的未來發展增添了一絲確定性。（財富中文網）

????翻譯：馮豐

????校對：詹妮

????IBM announced Thursday that it, along with a group of partners, has made a working version of a computer chip roughly four times more powerful than today’s top-of-the-line hardware. Here’s what that means in plain English.

????What makes IBM’s new chip special?

????The new chips are among the first to be made with 7 nanometer transistors, an advancement made possible by using a silicon-germanium mixture instead of 100% silicon. The benefit here? As transistors get smaller, you can pack more of them onto a single chip, greatly improving chips’ performance. Today’s best chips have 14 nanometer transistors, while the next generation is expected to whittle that size down to 10nm.

????Basically, smaller transistors = faster chips, and that’s a good thing.

????OK, so when will this new chip make my computer faster?

????We’re still a long way from putting 7nm chips in our everyday computers—we don’t even have the 10nm variety yet. IBM’s new chips were made specifically to prove the jump to 7nm is possible, using a complex manufacturing process that won’t be easy to scale up. But by establishing that 7nm is doable, it clears a mental roadblock to getting commercial-grade chips to that point. Now it’s up to chip manufactures like Intel to figure out if it’s possible to make 7nm chips in a commercially viable manner.

????Do we actually need faster computers?

????Yes, definitely! Computer chips have for decades been governed by something called Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law states the number of transistors per square inch on an integrated circuit should double every two years, but it basically means “stuff gets faster.” Because the boost in chip performance has been fairly predictable, computer manufacturers and other innovators are able to plan in advance for the arrival of faster and more efficient machines.

????In a broader sense, faster computers have enabled breakthroughs unthinkable to previous generations—mapping the human genome, for example.

????However, some observers are beginning to doubt Moore’s Law as we know it can continue to hold true much longer—processor design is starting to bump up against some pretty firm rules of atomic physics. What IBM’s new chip proves is that Moore’s Law should hold true for at least a little while longer, adding a little more certainly to computing’s future.