Researchers create first true 3D processor, turns chips into cubes

While others have touted 3D processors in the past, a group of researchers from the University of Rochester are now claiming that they've developed the first true 3D processor (with a little help from MIT), and they've got it running at a decent 1.4GHz, no less. Dubbed the "Rochester Cube," the processor was apparently designed from the ground up to optimize all key processing functions vertically, unlike other 3D processors which simply stack a bunch of regular processors on top of one another. Among other things, the researchers say that allows the processors to be shrunk to as much as a tenth their size of their traditional counterparts, while also increasing their speed tenfold. Unsurprisingly, they aren't making any promises as to when such a magical processor might find its way into some actual products, but whenever it does, it'll no doubt be facing some stiff competition from some other purported processor breakthroughs.

[Via DailyTech, image courtesy 3DStereo.com]

[who? @ Sep 16th 2008 4:39PM]

20GHz processor? Oh, yeah.

[MioTheGreat @ Sep 16th 2008 5:46PM]

Clock frequency is a meaningless metric except when comparing two chips of the same layout.

[a ham sandwich @ Sep 16th 2008 6:34PM]

o mio.

how i HATE explaining that to n00bs. its SO difficult! "wait. you mean the 2.3Ghz AMD might me faster than the 3.0 ghz intel chip?!" "YES!!"

[Tracy in Cary @ Sep 17th 2008 10:51AM]

Hey it's not just the noobs! I was looking at a computer game in the store 2 days ago. On the box under system requirements it said: "2.0ghz processor or equivalent". My first thought was: A 2ghz WHAT?

[HOOPER @ Sep 16th 2008 4:39PM]

LIFE-LIKE ACTION and EXCITEMENT!

[SkyShard @ Sep 16th 2008 4:45PM]

this could make for interestingly shaped heatsinks.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Sep 16th 2008 5:03PM]

Water cooled seems to be the only way at the minute according to IBM

[404 @ Sep 16th 2008 5:08PM]

Water cooling like this, to be exact:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7439406.stm

Built in watercooling. Woot? I bet if they ever take this idea up then AMD/Intel watercoolers will be just as dull as their standard air coolers.

[Chuckles McGee @ Sep 16th 2008 5:08PM]

Now put in a few billion low clock speed cores, each one connected to a few other million, and you've got a silicon brain.

[Joshua Walters @ Sep 16th 2008 10:25PM]

They will probably just drop them in a vat of vegetable oil.

[Boing @ Sep 17th 2008 4:28AM]

"Now put in a few billion low clock speed cores, each one connected to a few other million, and you've got a silicon brain"

or a Borg cube...

[Boing @ Sep 17th 2008 4:47AM]

[sigh] should have read the next post before trying to be funny......

[BigD145 @ Sep 16th 2008 4:53PM]

Core meltdown.

[Slayer @ Sep 16th 2008 4:53PM]

mmmmmmm..... Potato Cubes.....

[phanbouy @ Sep 16th 2008 4:56PM]

we are Borg

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Sep 16th 2008 5:04PM]

Where have you been You're very own phanbouy has been having an hissy fit.

[phanbouy @ Sep 16th 2008 5:08PM]

too many stalkers too little time

[Lowest Ranked @ Sep 16th 2008 5:30PM]

I'm the only one that matters though right phan?

[phanbouy @ Sep 16th 2008 5:50PM]

well, you and Anonymoose but that joker's never around anymore

[phanbouy fan @ Sep 16th 2008 7:15PM]

yes he's back, thank god please tell us about how bloated silverlight is! i forgot!

[phanbouy fan fan @ Sep 16th 2008 7:51PM]

let's get this party started, right!

[ethana2 @ Sep 16th 2008 11:33PM]

*headdesk*

[andres @ Sep 16th 2008 11:50PM]

@phanbouy fan fan
Let's get drunk and freaky fly

[vagvoba @ Sep 16th 2008 4:57PM]

Great. Now the same amount of heat energy has to dissipate through an even smaller surface.
How do they plan to solve this cooling problem?

[Catsceo @ Sep 16th 2008 5:03PM]

I'd assume pumping coolant straight into it.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Sep 16th 2008 5:08PM]

My above comment goes to you too. IBM have been watercooling by pumping ice cold water through small canals in the middle of the cube.

[xcise @ Sep 16th 2008 5:09PM]

liquid nitrogen ?

[Ray @ Sep 16th 2008 5:10PM]

no worries, this chip will also has a built in gps and wont work unless you are at the earths poles

[jimmyzhong @ Sep 16th 2008 5:24PM]

I imagine that 3D motherboards will soon follow, shaped like a bunch of cardboard cutouts with notches jammed together.


The next loical step would be the 4D CPU. Imagine, a processor that can harness the entire computational power of a modern CPU over the life of a few years...

Of course, it would probably be impractical, because as power increases, life shortens...

[CosterMonger @ Sep 16th 2008 5:26PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cm_rLXFivM&feature=related

I've been waiting for this to happen 3D cube means shorter distances

[broli @ Sep 16th 2008 5:30PM]

Autobots, Roll Out!

[on365 @ Sep 16th 2008 5:53PM]

Core meltdown.

[on365 @ Sep 16th 2008 6:16PM]

I love playing Wii and being British be play soccer games a lot - though resident evil 4 rocks too! Anyway here is a parody for the advert. :-)

http://www.on365.co.uk/video.html

[Dee @ Sep 16th 2008 6:36PM]

mmmm...sugar cube!

[Richard Pound @ Sep 17th 2008 1:55AM]

Can it play Crysis... in 3D?

[c. thomas @ Sep 17th 2008 2:45AM]

Xbox720 FTW!!

[Labrador @ Sep 17th 2008 3:58AM]

Am I the only one that noticed TFA says everything twice?