Intel is working on two new manufacturing and design
processes to improve transistor power efficiency and reduce
motherboard power consumption.
One of the techniques involves a dedicated voltage supply for
both the central processing unit (CPU) and the cache memory, and
the other integrates voltage regulators onto transistors to improve
efficiency.
The introduction of Intel's 90-nanometer manufacturing
technology in 2003, which forced a greater number of transistors
closer together, encouraged Intel to look at ways of controlling
the increasing power consumption of its processors.
As a result, Intel plans to switch to an entirely new
chip-making architecture later this year that minimises power
consumption.
The company is now looking at other areas of the platform to cut
power consumption.
As part of the plan, Intel is looking to separate the supply
voltage sent to its processors, which would involve the CPU having
a dedicated supply voltage and the cache memory having its own
supply.
Such a system would mean that integrated circuits that regulate
the amount of voltage supplied to these components in current
systems could be removed, freeing up motherboard space and
eliminating sources of excess power consumption.
An additional way to reduce power used by the chipset and the
other components on a motherboard, is to build digital voltage
regulators straight onto the chip, rather than using analogue
components from third parties.
Digital regulators react to changing voltage requirements
quicker than analogue components.