Sun present chip-design breakthrough

[sde]

Network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. researchers will report on Tuesday that they have devised a way to dramatically increase the speed at which semiconductors can talk to each other.

By placing the chips edge to edge, directly touching, so data can flow freely, Sun has taken out the need for the tiny wires, pads and solder points that now connect chips on printed circuit boards that help make up computer systems, Sun said.

The breakthrough could mean sending data among chips up to 100 times faster than current top transmission rates on traditional semiconductor-chip interconnects, Sun said.

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[Belisarius]

They need to do SOMETHING to speed up. Listen, Sun makes a quality product (I use them on a regular basis), but price vs. performance is REALLY lacking. Sure, they have amazing IO, but come on, I don't care HOW well your CPU is designed, 1 GHz isn't going to cut it. Especially when you charge $10k for a system with just 2 of them.