IBM Invents World’s first 2nm Chip In Test Lab

IBM says it has created the world’s first 2nm chip, achieving higher performance than existing 7nm chips and consuming lesser power.

IBM’s 2nm nanosheet technology squeezes about 50 billion transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail. The company claims a performance boost of 45 percent at the same power as 7nm chips, and

When IBM announced its 5nm breakthrough in 2017, it was able to squeeze about 30 billion transistors into the same space.

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SVP and Director of IBM Research Darío Gil said the new innovation is essential to the entire semiconductor and Its industry.

"The IBM innovation reflected in this new 2nm chip is essential to the entire semiconductor and IT industry,"

"It is the product of IBM's approach of taking on hard tech challenges and a demonstration of how breakthroughs can result from sustained investments and a collaborative R&D ecosystem approach."

IBM expects its 2nm technology - developed at its Albany research lab in the USA - to 'quadruple' mobile phone battery life, with phones needed to be changed every four days.

The notable breakthrough will take some time before the 2nm chips are widely available for commercial use. The company first demonstrated its 7nm process in 2015, but AMD's 7nm-based Ryzen processors didn't become available until 2019.

Chip makers, such as TSMC and Intel, are working on plans to build ultra-low nm chip plants in the coming years.

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"IBM's long-term focus and investment in research is a core reason for our technology leadership in semiconductors, enterprise systems, hybrid cloud, AI, quantum, and security," Gil said.

"As we race toward 3-nanometer technology and beyond, leveraging the IBM Research semiconductor ecosystem and technology will be critical to meeting the growing needs of the United States and the world," he added.