Semiconductor industry and market

Which correctly describes Dennard scaling?

  1. AThe number of transistors doubles about every two years
  2. BShrinking transistor dimensions and supply voltage by the same ratio allows higher speed and integration while keeping power density constant
  3. CThe semiconductor market repeats booms and busts on a cycle of about four years
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Answer: B. Shrinking transistor dimensions and supply voltage by the same ratio allows higher speed and integration while keeping power density constant

Dennard scaling is the rule that shrinking transistor dimensions and voltage by the same ratio makes transistors faster and smaller while keeping power per unit area constant. In the mid-2000s, leakage current made voltage hard to lower, and scaling no longer followed this rule.

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More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. Which appropriately describes generation names (node names) of advanced processes such as the '3 nm generation'?
  2. What is the scheme called in which a foundry puts designs from several customers on one wafer (one mask set) for prototyping?
  3. Which appropriately describes investment in advanced semiconductor fabs?
  4. What is an LSI called that integrates functions a system needs, such as a CPU, GPU, memory controller and communications, on a single chip?
  5. What is an LSI called that is custom-designed for a specific application or customer?